2010 Anam Cara Chehalem Mountains Vineyard Selection Pinot Noir ($19.99) – This is a wine that will appeal to folks who prefer a more savory flavor profile where elements of earth, wet Autumn leaves, mushroom and braised meat are woven into the soft cherry and plum fruit tones.  It’s also been a hit with people who enjoy good quality Burgundy but are looking for a more budget friendly way to satisfaction.

2010  Evesham Wood Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir ($24.99) – Small lot production and minimal intervention in the cellar are hallmarks of the Evesham Wood philosophy.  This wine offers aromas of wild strawberry and woodsy spice with a delicate red cherry flavor on the palate.  The tannins are like chalk dust and offer just enough structure to help the fruit flavors linger long through the finish.

2010 Eyrie Dundee Hills Pinot Noir ($32.99) - ”Bright red. Fresh red berries and cherry on the perfumed nose. Sappy, penetrating raspberry and cherry flavors show very good depth, with tangy mineral and blood orange nuances providing pungent lift. Shows very good intensity on the finish, which features subtle floral and spicecake qualities. This wine improves quite a bit with a half hour of decanting and should age nicely on its balance.”- Stephen Tanzer

2010 Beaux Freres Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($44.99) - “The 2010 Willamette Valley cuvée is a comprised of fruit from the following vineyard sources: Gran Moraine 42%, Zena Crown 37%, and Shea 21%.  Dark ruby in color, with aromas of blue fruit and spice. On the palate the fruit shows plum, dark currants, sweet cherries and a dash of raspberry. Medium to full bodied, supple and pure with sweet tannins.” – Beaux Freres Winery

2010 Trisaetum Coast Range Pinot Noir ($52.99) -   “Bright red raspberry and red currant are tinged with iodine and smoky black tea in the nose and infectiously juicy palate of Trisaetum’s 2010 Pinot Noir Coast Range Estate. A sweet, saline, scallop-like savor – as well as metaphorically cooling inner-mouth evocations of herbal essences on a polished palate –leads to a long finish of finesse and fascination. This should be worth following for at least 6-8 years.” David Schildknecht – Wine Advocate

Mike J., Beltramo’s Domestic Wine Buyer

2010 La Merika Central Coast ($9.99) -  The wine opens with aromas of young, fresh cherries and a hint of vanilla with a brief herbal note. The palate shows flavors of strawberry and sweet licorice without being too jammy. The tannins are low and there is a bracing acidity to the wine that keeps the attention focused.

2010 Sean Minor, Central Coast ($11.99) -  A repeat vintage at Beltramo’s, the nose has cherry and raspberry and a touch of earth. These flavors continue onto the palate, where the earth tones are enhanced with a slight tobacco.  The tannins are more pronounced but balanced with a rich oak feel.

2009 Rickshaw Sonoma County  ($14.99) – This is most certainly a wine that over achieves for the price. The fruit is sourced from both the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River Valley. The wine opens with delicious aromas of blackberry and blackcurrant, the mid-palate follows this with a rich, fruit driven juicy red cherry. There is just the correct amount of oak to balance the wine and this makes it tres food-friendly.

2010 Bench Sonoma Coast ($16.99) – The fruit for this wine is sourced from a single vineyard (Sangiacomo Amaral Ranch) and is aged in used French Oak.  This wine has a fragrance of fresh blackberries and plums and an undercurrent of cinnamon and cloves. There is abundant fruit on the palate and the finish is long and balanced with a strong mineral character.

2009 Paraiso Santa Lucia ($19.99)- A very enticing nose of strawberry, dried fruits and spice. The palate shows soft, juicy cherries with a good Asian spice component and a lick of French oak to add a touch of complexity to the rounded finish.

2009 Au Bon Climat ($19.99) – A richer style of pinot. Lush fruit, strawberry and sour cherry, with more density on the palate. Exotic spices, coriander and sweet clove with a great balance of acidity and oak on the long finish.

James D-B., Beltramo’s Wine Consultant

Located roughly 90 miles north of San Francisco cutting through the coastal range, the western tip of the Anderson Valley is only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean while the tiny town of Boonville lies 20 miles to the east inland. The Anderson Valley name is credited to the Walter Anderson Family who in 1845 left Missouri and headed out west seeking gold, new land, and new opportunity. By chance they landed in this irrefutable Eden surrounded by dense redwoods on the southwest side and grassy hills to the northeast.

It wasn’t until 1964 that the modern era of wine-growing and wine-making in Anderson Valley came into play. Leading the charge was Dr. Donald Edmeades who planted 24 acres of premium wine grapes: Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Following Dr. Edmeades lead was Tony and Gretchen Husch who crushed their first grapes in 1971 and founded Husch Vineyards, Anderson Valley’s first commercial winery since prohibition. Many have pursued the success of Husch and Edmeades, notably Ted Benett of Navarro Vineyards who refers to the Anderson Valley’s emphasis “on content, not appearance” as well as the world class French Champagne House Louis Roederer which built a California sparkling wine facility in the Anderson Valley in the early 1980’s.

The Anderson Valley AVA, one of ten AVA’s in the Mendocino County, is a 15 mile stretch that has become well known for its cool climate grape varietals like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and the aromatic whites such as Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Riesling. And with 28% of vineyard acreage certified organic or bio-dynamic, Mendocino wine country is considered the “greenest” wine region in the U.S… I highly recommend making a trip through Mendocino and visiting all the down to earth and friendly wineries but if time doesn’t permit you, please come on into Beltramo’s and try some of my favorite Mendocino wines:

Husch Anderson Valley Gewurztraminer 2009 ($11.99): Producer’s notes: “aromas of pineapple, honeysuckle…flavors of ripe melon, lychees and an inviting spice character.” An excellent value wine!

Terra Savia Mendocino Chardonnay 2009 ($11.99): Made with estate grown organic grapes, this is one of my favorite un-oaked Chardonnays. An excellent food wine, with a very refreshing style with plenty of citrus fruit flavors.

Drew Gatekeepers Blend Mendocino Ridge Pinot Noir 2009 ($27.99): A blend of two ridge top vineyards 2000+ ft. in elevation and less than 10 miles from the ocean: Manchester Ridge Vineyard and Perli Vineyard. Heavy aromas of rose, violets, tea leaf; hint of spearmint; light mineral notes.  Full of lively flavors of dark cherry, spices. A bit Burgundian in style.

Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2009 ($49.99): A blend of four different estate vineyards: Confluence, Gowan Creek, Narrows, and Abel Vineyards. Excellent tannic structure, supported by ripe cherry and blueberry flavors, balanced use of oak and refreshing acidity.

Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut ($17.99): A multi-vintage cuvee made in the traditional Roederer style, known for its body, finesse and depth of flavor. 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Notes of crisp apple, lemon tart, and touch of yeast. Flavors are creamy with pear and baked apple characteristics.

Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut Rose ($24.99): 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay. Slight Salmon tinge, wonderful crisp acidity and full round flavors of bright cherry, strawberry, red apples and touch of minerality.

Will Sundquist- Beltramo’s Wine Consultant and Assistant Manager

I was also able to get a sneak peak at some of the wines that won’t hit the marketplace until next spring as well as grill numerous winemakers on the state of this year’s harvest.  On that last note, the synopsis is that yields will be way down while quality will be dependent on the ability of vineyard managers to mitigate rain induced mold issues and foster the grapes to ripeness in a growing season that has been quite cool.

Here are a few highlights from the tasting that can currently be found on our shelves or purchased though our website:

2008 Kazmer & Blaise “Boon Fly’s Hill” Carneros Chardonnay – $44.99

Sourced from a small knoll within the Poseidon’s Vineyard in Carneros, this wine is age entirely in tight grained Hungarian oak barrels for 21 months.  It is a beautifully detailed Chardonnay with aromas of white flowers, blanched almond, apple tart and spice.  The mouth feel is structured and precise with vivid green apple flavors, a splash of minerality, great acidity and a subtle toasty nuance that lingers through the finish.  Only 197 cases were produced.

2010 Luli “Santa Lucia Highlands” Chardonnay – $17.99

My favorite thing about this wine lies in the wine making.    Here we have a wine that is vinified in 50% stainless steel, 50% neutral oak and untouched by malolactic fermentation.  This allows the essence of the grape to shine without the accoutrements of the winemaker’s hand.  The aromatics reveal a lovely tropical fruit note along with flavors of white peach and caramelized apple.  There is plenty of textural concentration as well as a vibrant acidity which helps to make this wine an agile food paring candidate.

2009 Freeman “Sonoma Coast” Pinot Noir – $39.99

With winemaker (and Beltramo’s alum) Ed Kurtzman in the cellar, this winery has been quietly turning out delicious wines for almost a decade.  Their most recent release of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir showcases all the character of the 2009 vintage for this area.  It is a wine with bright acidity, tightly wound structure and beautiful depth of fruit.  The aromatics are a lively mix of pomegranate, sweet spices and rosewood.  The expression on the palate is a bit more reticent but the long finish reveals layers of subtlety indicative of future gratification.

2009 Roar “Rosella’s Vineyard” Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir – $49.99

Roar winery owner Gary Francioni is also the owner of the fabulous Rosella’s vineyard located in central portion of the Sana Lucia Highlands.  Coincidentally, this is another wine showcasing Ed Kurtzman’s deft hand with Pinot Noir, although in a very different style.  Effusive aromas of dark cherry, spice and savory herbs are backed up by a lush and seamless mouth feel.  It is certainly a more robust style of Pinot, but solid acidity means the wine never falls out of balance or becomes cumbersome on the palate.

Mike Janeway – Domestic Wine Buyer

I was fortunate to recruit a couple other members of the Beltramo’s team to join me on this endeavor.  Not only for their expert palates but also for some company on the almost four hour drive to Hirsch.  The vineyard and winery are perched at 1500 feet in the Sonoma Coast appellation near the tiny town of Cazadero and a mere three miles from the Pacific Ocean.  The roads leading there are narrow, twisty and unkempt.  The final mile is dirt.

Upon arrival David led us on a tour of the vineyard where he spoke about the history of the site, the geology of the land and the challenges of farming in such marginal conditions.  Next we adjourned to the cellar where we analyzed young wines from twenty or so different barrels.  These would be the ingredients for our final blend.  As we would learn, all vineyard blocks on the property (there are over 60) are vinified separately and aged in oak casks of varying age.  This allowed us to consider differences in clonal material, vine age, soil type, and oak influence in our blending decisions.   After reviewing our tasting notes we assembled a blend that we felt would represent our goal of producing a wine with balance, depth, complex aromatics, and near term accessibility as well as sufficient structure for at least ten years of cellaring.   The result of that first pilgrimage to the Hirsch Estate was 25 cases of our inaugural 2007 Beltramo’s ‘Hirsch Vineyard’ Pinot Noir.   The wine turned out exactly as we had hoped and was popular with customers.  I tasted one of those bottles recently and I’m happy to report that it is still in fabulous balance with some of the secondary aromas and flavors beginning to emerge and plenty of life remaining.

Today we are proud to offer our third custom blend Pinot Noir from Hirsch Vineyard.  The 2009 Hirsch Beltramo’s B Cuvee Pinot Noir is a wonderfully feminine wine with great tension on the palate, fully developed flavors and an alcohol level at a very moderate 13.2%.  Defined by high toned aromas of cherry, cranberry and raspberry on the nose, the wine also reveals a distinct note of green tea with a more subtle nuance of morel mushroom lingering in the background.  On the palate, a mélange of red fruit flavors are lifted by bright acidity and framed by silky tannin.  We feel that this elegant wine offers excellent food pairing versatility in the near term and at least a decade of cellaring potential for those with patience.  At $34.99 this wine is a serious bargain, and with only 50 cases produced, I’m hoping that it will last until our 2010 is ready to go.

–Mike Janeway , Domestic Wine Buyer