This week's SayVino is being written by your roving correspondent, who's enjoying the sun and the wines of Sonoma County. This trip gave us the opportunity to taste some wonderful wines, many of which Schaefer's is proud to share with you. This also gives us the chance to remind everyone about tips to having a great time in wine country. 

Rochioli has an impressive reputation, and we were thrilled to be able to visit. It's a beautiful vineyard on 162 acres nestled in the rolling hills of the Russian River Valley, on both sides of Westside Road. The land and the winery have been in the Rochioli family since 1938, although they have only been making wines for the past 36 years. Rochioli divides their vineyards into over two dozen separate plots, and each plot is carefully nurtured to produce the best in each variety. They grow primarily Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The winery actually sells close to 65% of their grapes to other famous wineries, including Williams-Selyem and Gary Farrell. Full disclosure: knowing how limited Schaefer's allocation of these wines was going to be, I took full advantage of our visit and bought some of each - purchases are limited at the winery, too. First up: their 2007 Estate Sauvignon Blanc, coming from vines in three different locations, of different ages (including both their oldest SB vines, planted in 1958, and their newest, planted in 2001). Twenty-five percent of the wine was barrel fermented to add complexity while the rest was fermented in stainless steel to preserve the crisp acidity and characteristic taste. It tastes great - lots of bright crisp flavor but enough weight behind it to know we can safely put our two bottles in the cellar and let them sit for a year or two before we enjoy them. Next, their 2006 Estate Pinot Noir. The grapes for this wine came from multiple sites (they have over 15 blocks devoted to Pinot Noir), with over 70% from their Sweetwater vineyard located on the west side of Westside. It was soft and silky, full of sweet cherry flavors and with a nice balance. It has already received very good reviews including 91 points from both Robert Parker and the Wine Spectator, and will definitely keep for a number of years.

 

The Schaefer's allocation for these two wines is limited so please contact us to place a request.

 

ROCHIOLI ESTATE SAUVIGNON BLANC 2007, Russian River Valley $37.97 (regular $47.95)

ROCHIOLI ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2006, Russian River Valley $59.97 (regular $67.95)

Fritz Underground Winery is the full name of the Fritz winery, and there's a reason. It's not anything subversive, though. The winery is truly built underground! It sits at the top of a hill in Cloverdale, in the northern part of Sonoma County near Healdsburg. Jay and Barbara Fritz purchased the property in 1970 and after spending get-away weekends from San Francisco at this beautiful Sonoma County retreat, they built the winery in 1979. Since 1996, changes at Fritz Winery have been swift and dramatic: volume has been slashed by two-thirds to only 12,000 cases per vintage. New winemaking equipment is both esoteric and state-of-the-art; it also looked very cool. An underground cave ages all red wines (see photo), while whites are vinified on native yeast and processed in stainless tanks one level up. We tasted through their 2007 Sauvignon Blanc and rosé and the 2006 Ruxton Chardonnay, each only available at the winery. We then moved on to their Estate Reserve wines, including three which I'm happy to say Schaefer's does carry. The 2006 Estate Reserve Chardonnay is made in an elegant style, with rich creamy qualities but enough distinct lemon/apricot/mineral qualities to keep it light and elegant. There's also a touch of French oak, but not too much. This one received 90 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine. This vintage is almost completely sold out, and we're expecting the 2007 to arrive next week, so we're happy to take pre-arrival orders for the new vintage. Fritz tends towards consistancy, so I would think it a safe bet that the new vintage will be as good as the last. Their Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 has floral, earthy and spicy aromas followed by rich black fruit with a strong tannic background. This Pinot Noir had a lot of elegance and will drink well now through 2012. Finally, we had their Estate Reserve 2005 Zinfandel and their Barrel Select version - both excellent examples of spicy dark fruit with structure and a lasting flavor. We really loved the Barrel Select one but, sorry folks, that one is only available at the winery. Fortunately, the Estate Reserve Zinfandel is available for purchase from Schaefer's shelves, and it's darn good too: full of black fruit with soft tannins and balanced acidity for a lingering finish. This one received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast.

 

FRITZ ESTATE RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2007, Dry Creek Valley $27.95

FRITZ ESTATE RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2006, Dry Creek Valley $29.97 (regular $35.95)

FRITZ ESTATE RESERVE ZINFANDEL 2005, Dry Creek Valley $20.97 (regular $24.95)

One of our favorite parts of visiting wineries is trying new things, whether it's new grapes, interesting blends, or simply stopping someplace with an intriguing sign that we've never even heard of before. That said, there are a number of big places with great tours (Simi, Sterling, and Buena Vista leap to mind), but the smaller places tend to be more fun in our view. There are also many non-wine things to do: this year, for the first time, we visited the Di Rosa Preserve, a 200+ acre nature preserve housing the largest collection of modern Californian art in the world. The area also abounds in historic buildings, wonderful restaurants and countless shops, so there's a great deal to keep you busy when you've had your fill of wine. When you do go to the wineries, keep in mind you're tasting, not drinking - you can get a lot of info from one sip, honest, and don't be afraid to spit, and certainly not afraid to dump your glass - don't worry, they won't be offended. Anything that allows you to try more great wines that you might otherwise never see makes the unusual behavior worth it. With that in mind, it doesn't hurt to have a designated driver or even hire a car service to get from one place to another. Also, if you're here 'in season', it can get VERY hot - if you must leave wines in the car, keep them in the trunk and stand them up. An inexpensive Styrofoam cooler in the trunk can make all the difference in ensuring that your wines make it home in good condition. You can usually check up to a case in a special wine carrier on the plane (we've not had a problem yet), and most wineries will ship directly (IL is a ship-to state) - though many will encourage you to hold off on shipping until cooler weather. Ask questions - the staff in tasting rooms, just like those of us at Schaefer's, love to talk about wine. Don't feel pressured to buy, and remember that the wine you taste there will taste a little different at home, minus the phenomenal setting, but it will always bring back wonderful memories. 

What's more fun and refreshing during the dog days of summer than sangria shared with friends at a backyard barbecue or cocktail party? From its modest origin in Spain, sangria has boomed in popularity worldwide. America experienced sangria for the first time at the 1964 World's Fair in New York. Sangria has quickly become the beverage of choice at tapas restaurants across the country and is popping up on summer cocktail menus all over. We're pleased to announce that we've expanded our selection of Stirrings cocktail products to include Stirrings Simple Red Sangria & Stirrings Simple White Sangria, and we are sharing them with our CAP Members at a special price!

 

Stirrings Simple White Sangria combines peach purée, pineapple, white grape and key lime juice for a crisp, light, refreshing flavor - perfect for a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Combine 1 bottle of white wine with 1 bottle of Stirrings mix in a large pitcher. You can add any fruit you like to the mix. We recommend using strawberries, peaches or nectarines, apple and orange slices. Serve over ice.

 

 

For those who prefer traditional red sangria, Stirrings has blended strawberries, peaches and blood oranges to create an absolutely delicious cocktail mix! Imagine sitting in your backyard, the smell of barbecue wafting through the air, and a perfect summer cocktail in your hand to match your summer dinner. Just combine 1 bottle of red wine with 1 bottle of Stirrings Simple Red Sangria in a large pitcher with fruit. You can use the same fruits we mentioned above, maybe even adding cherries or a dash of cinnamon to bring out the spice in the wine. You can also add club soda to make sparkling sangria! Both the red & white sangria mix make 11 servings. We recommend serving both sangrias chilled.

 

Recommended wines: Santa Rita "120" Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - A crisp Chilean Sauvignon Blanc with a nose of apple and citrus zest. Flavors of apple, orange and a hint of grass make this Chilean wine an ideal base for white sangria. Dulong Merlot 2006 - This light, soft French Merlot will lend itself nicely to refreshing summer sangria. With smooth, subtle tannins and flavors of red berries, you truly can't go wrong!

 

Stirrings Simple White Sangria $8.97 / 32 oz. (regular $10.99)

Stirrings Simple Red Sangria $8.97 / 32 oz. (regular $10.99)

Santa Rita "120" Sauvignon Blanc 2007 $8.49 / 750 ml 

Dulong Merlot 2004 $8.47 / 750 ml (regular $9.95)

That's all for this week. If we may be of any further service, please stop by our store at 9965 Gross Point Road in Skokie (for directions, click here), visit our website at http://www.schaefers.com, give us a call at 847-677-WINE (9463), 800-833-WINE (9463), or click here to contact us.