Sacramento – Wine Snob

June 15, 2022June 28, 2022

2021 Nebbiolo (Clarksburg) by Haarmeyer, West Sacramento, CA

Think you’ve seen all Nebbiolo can be? Think again!

Light clear, transparent almost iridescent color. Bright crisp nose with subtle citrus and sweet cola. Swirling unlocks a gentle sedimentary earth leather and intensifies the cola, adding a little zest.

Slight Citrus and lemon zest up front on the body. This is quickly followed by subtle bitter cola, mineral and sedimentary leather. A touch oak lends a crisp refined caramel that further accentuates the fruit with hints of raspberry, red cherries and strawberry. Beneath all this lies a bone dry wine. This all quickly vanishes across the palate leaving behind parched lips and a touch of spice. Most certainly a chillable red.

Nothing ventured nothing gained. The wine world seems to have no shortage of folks who insist on having found, seen, tasted or learned all there is to know about wine. To all, I suggest you take a look at what the folks at Haarmeyer are doing. It’s a great approach to and perspective on wine I think we all could use these days. From harvesting for pH instead of Brix and creating subtle, low intervention wines that are simply delightful.

Thank you Craig for the great wines and hospitality! I’m excited and look forward to many more vintages.

April 26, 2022May 3, 2022

Merlot by Acheson Wine Company, Sacramento CA

Tonight’s Occasion: Merlot by Acheson Wine Company, Sacramento CA

Do you have those moments when you can’t help but wonder, how did we get here? How did wine become such a complicated affair? Why do we always invariably gravitate towards overbearing, obsessive, hyperbole? This wine makes me want to set it all down and just be content with what is. If there is such a thing as “Plenty Good Enough”, this would be it.

Slightly ripe dark plums and dark cherries. Touch of crisp refined caramel. Faint hints of sweet minty eucalyptus. Rocky, dust dirt.

Rich clear blood red color. Soft gentle body. Balanced. Rich, restrained ripe dark plum. Fully integrated suspended tannins add weight, viscosity and body. Through each sip, they slowly coat the palate and lips with a thin, firm, lingering, dry grippy layer. Warm spice emerges and lingers long after the finish. Hints of bitter leather linger in the distant background, complementing the fruit and caramel quite nicely. As it opens up that minty eucalyptus and slightly bitter turns into a subtle root beer.

Why obsess over what this bottle/vintage would look like someday. Just let go, pop the cap and enjoy an honest to goodness, well made Merlot. When you’re done, head back down to tasting room for a refill. The time to live is now…

Explore more Acheson Wines on WineSnob.

April 8, 2022May 3, 2022

2019 Cabernet Sauvignon by Acheson Wine Company, Sacramento CA

Tonight’s Occasion: 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (Overlord) by Acheson Wine Company, Lodi Apellation, CA

Full bright berry nose with lots of Ripe plum and cherries. Wet oak wood and subtle fine dusty terroir.

Body is soft, mild, restrained. Not as fruit forward as the nose would suggest. Subtle dark plums, and cherries and a noticeable, and pleasant crisp refined caramel reminiscent of neutral French oak. A very subtle bitter cola permeates the experience. Thin crisp tannins round out the affair.

This is a great refreshing chillable red. Simple, clean, crisp without being overly abstract. A pleaser of a wine that should appeal to a broad spectrum of palate. One of the latest and welcomed additions to the local wine scene here in Sacramento, I think Acheson is onto something. Serving well made wine exclusively on tap, via refillable 1 litre growlers/pop-cap bottles is just one of the many ways they are challenging the norms, rethinking convention, driving sustainability, reducing their carbon footprint from vineyard to table and keeping their wines accessible.

I was very much intrigued during my recent visit and will be exploring more of this emerging trend. Nicely done Acheson!

Explore more Acheson Wine Co on WineSnob.

May 6, 2021January 6, 2022

2017 Pinot Noir (Elton) by Willamette Valley Vineyards

Tonight’s Occasion: 2017 Pinot Noir (Elton, Eola-Amity Hills) by Willamette Valley Vineyards, Oregon.

Slightly warm weighty nose with a noticeable albeit restrained minerality in the form of a wet slate accompanied by a hint of caramel butterscotch and damp wood. Swirling vigorously unlocks subtle bursts of black licorice, sweet cherry and very distant honeysuckle you would almost certainly miss.

Light, slightly dry and viscous body shows great balance. Crisp tannins provide firm, lean structure. Dark, tart plum a crisp, clean oak vanilla provide creamy mouth feel. This quickly gives way to a subtle cola as it fades away into a slightly dusty finish culminating in a gentle spicy heat at the back of the palate.

This is an very well built Pinot. It represents its origins very nicely without being overly abstract. It is measured, clean, slightly bold with a touch of flair, especially in the nose. I love this region and I was very pleased to find that this Winemaker decided to open a tasting room in my own backyard – an authentic taste of Willamette Valley, here in Sacramento, California.

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