The view from the Leonardo da Vinci Museum in Vinci, Tuscany. From Wikimedia.

While living on either end of Tuscany — first to its immediate north in Bologna, and then just south in Rome — I found myself becoming increasingly anti-Tuscan.

I joked about the difficulty of finding a Florentine in Florence, and I rolled my eyes at friends’ stories about visiting “the cutest Tuscan hill town!”

My internal justifications went something like this: Chianti? The local, cheaper Sangiovese suited me just fine. Art? Why travel to see the David when I could walk to the Pieta? Food? Don’t get me started on Tuscan bread.

Now that I’ve disclosed my irrational prejudice against all things Tuscan, let’s talk Tuscan wine.

Italy has some iconic wines — think Barolo, Amarone, Pinot Grigio — but perhaps the most iconic of all is Chianti. Just mentioning the word conjures images of candlelit spaghetti dinners, checkered tablecloths, and mustachioed waiters singing “’O Sole Mio.”

Chianti likely became so famous because of its accessibility — it’s known for being affordable and easy-drinking, and it’s relatively easy to find. Its reputation has alternately peaked and plunged over the years. Today, Chianti’s wines can largely be divided into two categories: expensive, high-end bottlings that are often over-extracted and oaky, and cheap, insipid, mass-produced wine.

Admittedly, a few producers are still making terrific Chianti at a good price (e.g. Fontodi, Felsina, Monte Rotondo, and Querciabella), but they are relatively hard to find. I have had so many “blah” experiences with random Chianti bottles that I’ve mostly given it up.

As much as I’d love to use this as an excuse to write off Tuscan wines altogether, I’ll grudgingly admit that Tuscany’s terroir seems to be well-suited to making good wine. So I decided to search for a Chianti alternative.

The best-known Tuscan DOCG wines (Denominazione d’Origine Controllata e Garantita, the top tier of Italian wine certifications) — Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Chianti Classico — are all made primarily with the Sangiovese grape, and showcase Sangiovese’s elegance and versatility. These wines are often good, even great, but the best are very expensive.

If Sangiovese is the key to great Tuscan wine, why not look beyond the famous appellations to find it at a better price point? Morellino di Scansano — also a Sangiovese-based Tuscan DOCG — fits the bill. It comes from the Maremma, an area south of Siena near the Tyrrhenian coast, about halfway between Rome and Florence. The region makes fresh, accessible wines that are usually priced between $15-$25.

Not much Morellino makes it to the US, but on the occasions I’ve tried it, I have been impressed. With my interest piqued, I jumped at the opportunity to attend a recent Morellino tasting in DC, co-hosted by the Consorzio Tutela Morellino di Scansano and Vigneto Communications.

Across the board, the Morellinos were simple but well-made, with tons of the bright red fruit that is typical of Maremma Sangiovese. A few winemakers used too much oak (to my taste), but even the oakier wines were preferable to many Chiantis I’ve had in their price range. These Sangioveses are meant to be drunk young; a wine to enjoy while ageing your Brunello.

Poggio Nibbiale "Tommaso"

My favorite wine of the night was made by Elke and Nikolaus Buchheim at Poggio Nibbiale. Their son was pouring, and he gave me a brief rundown of the estate: his German parents bought the land in 1998, and now have 11 hectares of vines, mostly Sangiovese. They practice organic viticulture (but are not certified) and rely on spontaneous fermentation by ambient yeasts. Only one of their wines was available to taste, the 2008 “Tommaso” Morellino di Scansano Riserva DOCG, which was surprisingly fresh and juicy considering its eighteen months of barrel age. Red berries, cedar, tobacco and cherries dominated the palate. I’m a convert.

Another highlight was Poggio Argentiera. They are one of a handful of wineries who use the grape Ciliegiolo in their Morellino blends, which adds a burst of cherry to the Sangiovese. Of their two Morellinos on offer, I preferred the 2012 “Bellamarsilia” DOCG, which is 85% Sangiovese and 15% Ciliegiolo. It showed pure red fruit and had a backbone of dusty tannins, and would be perfect with some Tuscan salami and pecorino cheese. The second wine was their 2010 “Capatosta” DOCG, which has 5% Alicante in the blend. The addition of the Alicante, along with a longer oak regimen, made for a much darker and stiffer wine than the “Bellamarsilia.” This wine shows potential, but needs time for its tannins to soften and integrate.

Tenuta Pietramora di Collefagiano "Petramora"

Rounding out my favorite producers was was Tenuta Pietramora di Collefagiano. The estate was bought and replanted by its current owners in 1999, and is certified organic. The wine on offer was their 2010 “Petramora” Morellino di Scansano DOCG, which is 85% Sangiovese and 15% Merlot. The Merlot (I was skeptical) distinguished this wine by contributing a pleasant meatiness not found in the other Morellinos. It was a big wine at 14.5% alcohol, but the weight was nicely balanced by Sangiovese’s characteristic acidity.

My takeaway?

While my anti-Tuscan feelings haven’t completely disappeared, they’ve softened considerably — I really enjoyed these wines. They were exactly what I was looking for in a Chianti alternative. These Morellinos were bright, fresh expressions of Sangiovese, from grower-producers whose winesemphasize both their terroir and their own personal style.

Morellino di Scansano was granted DOCG status only six years ago. And a recent flood of investment — including purchases by Tuscan heavyweights Banfi and Frescobaldi — means that the region is developing rapidly. As a result, I suspect we will soon see more Morellino in the United States. This is great news for me, since I’m too much of a curmudgeon to enjoy it at the source.

“This is such exciting — and yes, eclectic — stuff. These wines have become sommeliers’ darlings and are largely sold to restaurants and mailing-list subscribers.” Wine Review Online’s Linda Murphy attends The 7 Percent Solution. 

“Obviously the USA’s greatest living ampelographical researcher and a former long-term winemaker for Robert Mondavi weren’t going to stuff up their home brew, but even so I was impressed with the freshness, purity and liveliness of the [wines].” Andrew Jefford spends some time with Carole Meredith and Steve Lagier.  

John Atkinson MW convincingly argues that “The 1855 Classification is the Antithesis of the French Concept of Terroir.” 

“While Drouhin makes a large range of affordable wines in its négociant capacity, the wines it makes from its own vineyards are prized by connoisseurs.” In the Wall Street Journal, Jay McInerney profiles the Drouhin family. 

“Of course there’s a Parkerized style… [The] era of Robert Parker has resulted in wines of higher alcohol, greater fruity extract, stronger oak influence, and a sweeter finish.” Steve Heimoff defines “Parkerized.” 

In which Lil Wayne enjoys a 1902 Madeira “carefully, thoughtfully and quickly.” 

In the interest of transparency and full disclosure, the HoseMaster has decided to list “the ingredients and processes that go into each piece.” 

In Bloomberg, John Mariani praises Spainish winemakers for offering “better quality and more attractive pricing” in recent years.

“It is essential to have a cooler and/or insulated bag in your car at all times when you travel.” A good reminder from Richard Auffrey.

The final winner will be determined via a 50/50 weighting of the public vote and that of the judges, so please consider voting for Terroirist! Voting ends on Friday. Winners will be announced this year’s Wine Bloggers’ Conference in Penticton, British Columbia. 

Vote here!

Best Blog Post of the Year

• W. Blake Gray’s Darth Vader is My Lover: Revelations about Brettanomyces
• Lilyelaine Wakawaka’s Escaping Convention: Calibrating to Stark Conditions, a Conversation with Greg Brewer
• Katie Kelly Bell’s Adventures in Taste
• Ron Washam’s Blind Book Review–”How to Love Wine”
• Alfonso Cevola’s Rape of the Veneto
• Ron Washam’s The Death of WIne Critics

Best Original Photography or Video on a Wine Blog

• The Journey of Jordan
• 4488: Ridge Wine
• Stay Rad
• What’s in the Bottle
• Chasing the Vine

Best Industry/Business Wine Blog:

• The Gray Report
• The Wine Curmudgeon
• The Academic Wino
• Hosemaster of Wine
• Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog

Best Wine Reviews on a Wine Blog:

• RJ On Wine
• Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews
• Wine Mizer
• Bigger Than Your Head
• Wines of Croatia

Best Single Subject Wine Blog:

• On Reserve: A Wine Law Blog
• Washington Wine Report
• New York Cork Report
• Mad About Madeira
• On The Wine Trail in Italy
• Stuart Pigott’s Planet Wine

Best Winery Blog:

• 4488: A Ridge Blog
• The Journey of Jordan
• Been Doon So Long
• Tablas Creek
• Half Full: The J Blog

Best Writing On a Wine Blog:

• Hosemaster of Wine
• Maker’s Table
• Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews
• Jameson Fink
• The Drunken Cyclist

Best New Wine Blog:

• Andre Rib
• The Savvy Lush
• Chasing the Vine
• What’s in the Bottle
• Unscrewed

Best Overall Wine Blog:

• Hosemaster of Wine
• 1 Wine Dude
• Terroirist
• The UK Wine Show
• Steve Heimoff

Rowdy & Dirty, respectively, who make Mourvèdre from Shake Ridge.

“Sure there are a lot of very well developed vineyards, but what Ann Kraemer and family have accomplished at Shake Ridge Ranch is awesome.” In Appellation America, Roger King writes a wonderful profile of Shake Ridge Ranch.

“For the red wine lover looking to choose a wine that possesses more finesse than power, Volnay on the label offers a good signpost.” In the Wall Street Journal Europe, Will Lyons explains why he so enjoys the wines of Volnay.  

From Alfonso Cevola, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Valdobbiadene.” 

Over on the blog for Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty, a Napa-based law firm, John Trinidad writes about the TTB’s new guidelines on social media and alcoholic beverage advertising. 

“Until recently most of the wine grown in the Hautes-Côtes was pretty thin stuff, but this is changing — partly because summers are getting warmer, and partly because of people such as Olivier Jouan… [who] seems even more determined to make great wine than his counterparts downhill on the Côte d’Or.” Jancis Robinson writes about climate change and the wines of the Hautes-Côtes.”  

In the Telegraph, Victoria Moore praises South Africa’s boutique wineries, crediting “a younger generation that appears to have almost boundless energy and ‘a huge confidence in what it’s doing.’” 

From the Huffington Post, “The 10 Most Over-The-Top Wine Cellars That Money Can Buy.” 

“I had no clue what to expect from a skin-contact Vermentino from California so it was with complete curiosity that I poured my first glass.” Aaron Nix-Gomez explores some wines from Ryme and Verse. 

Wine Spectator has just launched its 7th annual video contest. 

South Africa

2012 De Morgenzon Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé DMZ
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
SRP: $15
Bright salmon-pink color. Wow, smells like strawberry bushes covered with white flowers and cracked pepper. Tangy, spritzy, full of fresh watermelon, tangy cherry, white flowers, red apple peel. Notes of pepper and mineral add complexity. The verve of this wine is awesome. Notes of yellow onion? A great bottle to serve with the salads and seafood of summer. (88 points IJB)

2009 De Toren Z
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
SRP: $26
Aromas of dark roasted coffee, crushed blackberry, hint of tart cranberry, dried leaves and soil as well. On the palate, firm tannins and wonderfully fresh acid. Interesting mix of fresh blackberries and cranberries, hints of roasted coffee and a hazelnut-toast aspect lingers on the finish. Well-played oak doesn’t overpower the pure fruit flavors. I love the hint of chewing tobacco, smoke and tilled soil on the finish. Very focused, but still very young and capable of cellaring for three-to-five easily. A Bordeaux style blend of 56% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc, 4% Malbec and a 2% shot of Petit Verdot. (90 points IJB)

2010 De Toren Fusion V
South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch
SRP: $45
The nose… where to start? Plum cake, fig, currant jam, cedar, pine needles, mocha. Wow. Tart acid on the palate, firm tannins, and generous fruit. Plums and currants mix with earth and cedar and black olive. This is granite-structured, but the acid is wonderful. The notes of bay leaf and potting soil pay homage to the Old World, but the fruit has such richness. Aged 12 months in 50% new oak, but the toast and mocha flavors are extremely well-integrated. This wine is showing wonderfully now, but it’s a big one that will be even more interesting in five or eight years. A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Merlot, 13% Malbec, 11% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot. (93 points IJB)

Chile

2009 Emiliana Cabernet Sauvignon Novas Gran Reserva
Chile, Maipo Valley
SRP: $14
Aromas of roasted plum, blackberry jam, charcoal and a note that reminds me of Cognac. Tart on the palate, with snappy red cherries and blackberries. Notes of caramel, mocha, cellar dust and toasted oak as well. A flavor of brandied plums and charcoal lingers onto the finish. The alcohol and oak might be overdone, but it’s still quite pleasant. (86 points IJB)

2010 Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva de Familia
Chile, Maipo Valley
SRP: $16
Tight nose of mocha, cedar and black currants. A young, compact wine with dense tannins, almost bitter like green coffee. Dark fruit dominates, black cherry, black currant, along with flavors of ground coffee, charcoal and mocha. Big, toasty oak and chocolate shavings linger on the finish. A little low on acid. This is a very tightly-wound wine that could probably use a good decant or a year to settle down. (86 points IJB)

2009 Tabalí Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva
Chile, Limarí Valley
SRP: $20
This wine smells of raspberry jam, red licorice, chewing tobacco and charred toast. Grippy tannins provide lots of structure, but it’s slightly low on the acid. The flavors of red plums and raspberries and rich and juicy, and it’s all backed up by toasty oak, campfire and hints of green pepper. Nicely wrapped together with a solid finish. (87 points IJB)

Thomas Duroux, showing us around the vineyards of Palmer.

Thomas Duroux is the pensive, sincere presence behind Chateau Palmer, Bordeaux’s third-growth wine that has captivated the interest and the checkbooks of wine lovers around the world.

Chateau Palmer produces wines that have the elegant charm and silky femininity emblematic of the Margaux appellation, but with a strength and tannic backbone you don’t always find in its neighbors. It’s a wine that gives you immediate pleasure, but also leaves you intrigued and wanting to explore more.

The property, bordered by an impressive castle-like chateau with “witches-hat turrets,” includes 55 hectares and produces an annual 120,000 bottles of Chateau Palmer and 96,000 bottles of its second label, Alter Ego.

Thomas Duroux, described in one word, is a listener. In managing the vineyards, he listens. “You need a strong relationship with the place, the vines, with everything,” he told me during a recent trip to Bordeaux.

Indeed, Chateau Palmer has started managing its blocks of vines more precisely and looks not only at the variety, age, and rootstock, but also at what is happening underground below the vines. Thomas now divides all blocks into pieces or “families” and then makes management and harvest decisions accordingly.

Additionally, when he’s thinking about the future of Bordeaux and the business of Palmer, he also listens. During my visit in March, he took the time to ask our group (four business school students) weighty questions about where we saw en primeur, pricing, and Bordeaux’s popularity heading in the future.

Chateau Palmer is an exciting property and, in my opinion, it’s an exciting and challenging time for Bordeaux as well.

Check out our interview with Thomas below the fold.

What is your general winemaking philosophy?

The less, the better!! I try to respect as much as possible the true identity of the place where the fruit comes from. The hand of the winemaker should not appear.

What’s open in your kitchen right now?

Les Terrasses de l’Empire 2011, a beautiful Condrieu from Domaine George Vernay.

Who are your favorite winemakers in history, through personal account, or their wines? 

Robert Mondavi is probably the one who impressed me the most. He was incredibly dedicated to his wine region and was himself so humble, two things that are so important in producing great wines.

What new winemakers are you most excited about, and why?

I don’t have one in particular in mind. But I think there is a new generation today who is really trying to respect the land they are working with. This is true in a lot of regions right now. It means that it is harder and harder to discuss the style of a winemaker but easier to describe an origin.

How do you spend your days off? 

With my family, running, and a lot of time listening to music.

What’s the best wine you’ve ever tasted? The most interesting?

Hard to tell…I have had so many incredible wines. Maybe a 1985 Henri Jayer Richebourg… One of the most interesting was a totally unexpected 1958 (bad vintage!!) La Mission Haut Brion. Very very good and incredibly young.

But the most memorable is an 1869 Chateau Palmer tasted several years ago in Palo Alto!!

What’s the oldest bottle in your cellar? The most expensive?

The oldest bottle in the Palmer Cellar is an 1875. The most expensive one is a double magnum of Palmer 1961.

If you had to pick one red and one white to drink for the next month with every dinner, what would you choose?

White: Chateau Pierrail 2012, Bordeaux Blanc

Red: Domaine Hubert Lapierre, Moulin à Vent 2010

What’s your biggest challenge as a winemaker? 

To improve the quality of Palmer while respecting its style and identity

What’s your favorite wine region in the world — other than your own?

The Rhone Valley.

Is beer ever better than wine?

After a long blending session, yes it is!!

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I can spend hours listening jazz music but I can’t play any instrument!!! Sadly!

If you weren’t making wine for a living, what would you be doing? 

I would do research in biology.

How do you define success?

To be happy in what you do and to achieve your dreams.

Vare Vineyard Ribolla Gialla.

“At events like the 7% Solution, I find myself wondering if there are enough vineyard owners who have the vision and daring to follow in George’s footsteps. People who are willing to take a gamble on unknown grape varieties even though they could get more dollar-per-acre or ton for Cab.” John Trinidad returns to wine blogging with a thoughtful post about “farmers and vineyard owners… the unsung heroes of the ‘new’ California.”

On the blog for Tablas Creek, Robert Haas looks back at a time “When Terroir Was a Dirty Word.”

“I think that my taste is more complicated and more varied to be defined in such a black and white way.” Robert Parker recently sat down with French magazine Terre de Vins. Wine-Searcher has the highlights. 

Elsewhere in Wine-Searcher, Amanda Barnes chats with Uruguayan sommelier Charlie Arturaola, who was named the “Communicator of the Year” at the 2012 International Wine and Spirit Competition. 

“Just be honest with us. That’s all we ask.” W. Blake Gray urges wineries to label alcohol percentage accurately. 

“Researchers are breeding grapes that can survive frigid, cold temperatures and make delicious wine. They’re hoping names like Frontenac and Marquette will role off wine enthusiast’s tongues just the way Cabernet and Merlot do today.” On NPR, David Greene profiles the efforts of a dozen universities that are collaborating on an “extreme winemaking project.” 

From Buzzfeed, “the sleaziest wine commercials ever produced.” Wow. Not quite safe for work. 

In the Wall Street Journal, Lettie Teague investigates corkage fees in New York City. 

Wine & Dine Magazine profiles Leslie Sbrocco. 

Jeff Siegel explains why lowering the legal drinking limit isn’t the best way to solve the drunk-driving problem.  

In Palate Press, Tom Mansell reviews The Science of Sauvignon Blanc, the latest book from wine writer Jamie Goode, Ph.D.  

The TTB has issued guidance on the “Use of Social Media in the Advertising of Alcohol Beverages.” 

For aromatic depth, finesse, and its propensity to age gracefully, Hirtzberger’s Singerriedel stands among the elite expressions of dry Riesling, alongside the top Grosses Gewächse from producers such as Dönnhoff or Klaus-Peter Keller, Trimbach’s Clos Ste. Hune, or other great dry Austrian Rieslings such as FX Pichler’s Kellerberg.

The Singerriedel vineyard is a terraced vineyard in the town of Spitz along the Wachau. Another vintner with plots in the Singerriedel, Franz Joseph Gritsch, has spoken before about the challenges harvesting it — harvesting is only possible by hand, as tractors cannot be used on the steep gradient.

There’s little ‘earth’ in the vineyard, but rather many varieties of stone including gneiss, mica and schist. The slope and terracing of the vineyard allow for all the Riesling vines to enjoy great exposure to sunlight, and Hirtzberger’s wines from this vineyard always manage to come across with a sensation of high ripeness and concentration even in cooler years, while at the same time conveying a finesse and elegance found in few other dry Rieslings.

Though the wines are rarely cheap, they’re some of the most thrilling and age-worthy white wines I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy, with powerful, ripe fruit and florality in their youth, and more savoury, complex and mineral flavours developing with time in bottle.

Tasting notes follow below the fold.

2010 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Stunningly aromatic and flamboyant; this starts out with an exotic floral scent that brings Gewurztraminer to mind, and keeps unraveling with air to show layers of ripe citrus and tropical fruit, minerality, florality and spice. There’s amazing power, depth and length here, and I expect this will be something really special with enough time in the cellar.

2009 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
An intoxicating scent combining Gewurztraminer-like exotic florality and spice, a spectrum of fruit ranging from fresh citrus and pear flavours to riper nectarine and pineapple notes, and a vivid stony character that develops with more air. There’s a sense of tremendous power and richness in the mouth, yet superb precision and balance and the finish keeps resonating long after each sip. A spectacular wine.

2006 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
This has the typical young Singerriedel kaleidoscope of ripe orchard fruits accented by floral, spicy and mineral flavours, but the sense of power and concentration in this wine is particularly striking. There’s a lot of material here and it feels rather dense at first, though with air it calms down a little as the fruit takes a step back and the mineral elements come to the foreground. Impressive, though I’m not entirely sure how it’ll age as even right now there’s a faint tinge of alcoholic heat on the back end

2005 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
A few years ago – soon after release – this was a real fireworks display of fruit, minerality, spice and just a faint touch of botrytis. Now the botrytis is a lot stronger, initially overwhelming the ripe yellow fruit here and adding a slight bitterness on the back end. It becomes much more balanced with a little air as the botrytis flavours take a step back and other floral, smoky and mineral notes emerge, but I’m not optimistic about its aging potential given the level of botrytis here.

2001 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
This has always been one of my benchmark dry Rieslings, and this bottle is in great form. So youthful and powerful at first, an iron fist of a Riesling initially with that flamboyant cocktail of spice, florality and very ripe fruit conveyed on a large but perfectly balanced frame. With time the fruit becomes a bit less exuberant and it turns more savoury and minerally, and the last few sips are so vividly stony it’s hard to imagine this coming from grapes.

1999 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Still rather youthful, this is all about power and ripeness with intense peachy and tropical fruit, exotic floral and spicy notes and honeyed elements hinting at some botrytis. There’s a sense of real power and concentration here, but at the same time it feels remarkably precise and focused with a vivid mineral undercurrent beneath the ripe fruit and striking length. With air it only gets better, developing more layers and aromatic nuance, and the last sips are absolutely compelling.

1990 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Singerriedel
Amazing complexity; there’s a spectrum of fruit ranging from tarter pear/citrus flavours to riper tropical notes, and it’s accented by vivid stony mineral elements and developed smoky, burnished and slightly waxy notes. It’s not as flamboyant or intense as what I’ve come to expect from Hirtzberger, but rather showing a sense of restraint on the palate and tremendous focus and precision with amazing length. An exceptional Riesling that makes a great argument for leaving these wines in a cellar for years.

Flickr, Wyoming_Jackrabbit.

“Now Bisson and her UC-Davis colleagues are questioning the conventional wisdom that brett is bad. Or at least that all brett is bad.” Dave McIntyre writes a wonderful column on the latest research surrounding brett. 

Alder Yarrow explains why wine tasting isn’t “bullshit.” 

“It can’t go on forever as it has up to now.” Mike Veseth predicts a “Crisis in Argentinean Wine.” 

“There is a powerful effect to throwing out a day’s itinerary and replacing it with a simple curiosity about small towns, their people, and their produce.” In Palate Press, Evan Dawson urges wine travelers to “slow down once in a while.” 

Lily-Elaine Hawk Wakawaka visits Shake Ridge Vineyard. Wow. 

Steve Heimoff defends the tasting note.

In the Portland Press Herald, Joe Appel profiles one of my favorite winemakers, Melanie Pfister. 

In the Wine Spectator, Augustus Weed reports that “Bacchus Capital Management, a private equity firm with six wineries and brands in Oregon and California, is placing a big bet on wine in the Pacific Northwest with two new deals.” 

In the Sacramento Bee, Mike Dunne explains why the Dry Creek Heritage Zinfandel offers “another way to honor California’s long and respected history with the varietal.” 

Aaron Nix-Gomez attends the latest portfolio tasting of Robert Kacher’s wine imports. 

Wine bloggers headed to this year’s North American Wine Bloggers Conference might face some challenges at the border.

Two midwest wine geeks, Marcus and Emily Taplin, are raising money to produce a documentary on wine in Minnesota and Wisconsin. They’ve just launched a kickstarter campaign — check it out!

This event, which started in 1999, raised a net $985,000 this year and aims to hit $1 million by the end of June. All funds go directly to the American Heart Association.

A few Terroirists, including David, Scott, Winn, and me, had the opportunity to attend several of the functions this year and they were really special with exquisite wine, delicious food, and enthusiastic participants. If you haven’t had a chance to get involved in Heart’s Delight before, I highly encourage you to do so. More information can be found on the Heart’s Delight website and Facebook page.

See below the fold for a few highlights from the event:

United States of Wine Hall of States (April 23): Twenty-four members of Congress were in attendance including Senator Saxby Chambliss and Congressman Mike Thompson, who served as Honorary Chairmen and auctioneers.

Collectors Dinner (May 1): Eighty guests attended a dinner at Charlie Palmer Steak, where they brought their own bottles and lightheartedly competed to see who could out-do one another with their contributions. Gaja, Screaming Eagle, Mouton Rothschild, Sine Qua Non, and Le Pin were among the wines shared.

Private Series Dinner with David Ramey

Private Series Dinner (May 2): Fifteen dinners were hosted across DC at Ambassador’s residences, embassies, restaurants, and private homes. David and I attended the Ramey dinner at the Ritz Carlton’s West End Bistro. I was extremely impressed by Chef Devin Bozkaya’s preparations – the perfect amount of food with great flavor combinations. David Ramey also attended the dinner and was a warm and friendly host to our small group.

Press Luncheon (May 3): Ten winemakers from Bordeaux and two winemakers from the U.S. poured their wines for 22 members of the press and guest sommeliers. Many of the Bordeaux producers brought in the new 2010 vintages, which were exciting to taste.

Vintner’s Dinner (May 3): The big shebang! A black tie dinner featuring the wines of the first growth of Bordeaux and dinner prepared by Paris’ Michel Rostang.  During the auction, a record breaking lot for the Cannes Film Festival, donated by Vin Roberti and his future bride, was sold twice for a total of $110,000.

Grand Tasting Auction (May 4): Ten representatives from amazing properties in Bordeaux poured the current release and an older vintage for a formal tasting. I wasn’t able to attend this, but several Terroirists did attend and sent texts and pics that made me beyond envious. Caviar stations happened. As did 200+ silent auction lots and a live auction followed by a 1950’s doo wop group.