October: 2018 SummerWood Winery Marsanne Paso Robles

Quick, name three wine varietals that age well…

What did you come up with? Cabernet Sauvignon? Riesling? Nebbiolo? Chardonnay?

How many of you said Marsanne? If you have even heard of it as a varietal, you almost certainly didn’t name it as one that ages well. But it does. And one that is aging quite well, thank you, is our October wine of the month, the 2018 SummerWood Winery Marsanne Paso Robles.

Marsanne is a white grape of the Northern Rhône Valley that is more often blended with Roussanne than appearing as a varietal. It is a full-bodied wine typified by aromas and flavors of apricot, Mandarin orange, and honeysuckle. It traditionally has medium to medium minus acid. That might cause you to wonder how it can age so successfully. Well, acid is not the only factor in play when it comes to aging. Weight and texture also matter as well as the evolution of aromas.

The 2018 SummerWood Winery Marsanne comes from Paso Robles, which has soil and climate similar to the Northern Rhône Valley. White wines get darker over time, and this Marsanne, which began life as pale lemon, is now an appealing deep gold. The wine is full bodied and viscous, with a creamy mouthfeel. After aging for six years, the primary characteristics have been replaced with their tertiary counterparts of palate-coating bruised red apple, dried apricot, dried banana, nuttiness, petrol, and honey. It has evolved in a way that is akin to a fine Riesling. There is medium acid, which gives it enough of a backbone to carry the wine through to a long, balanced finish. An aged Marsanne is one of the true underrated treats in the wine world, and this vintage from SummerWood Winery is a wonderful representation. 

Of course, the trick is the patience to age it. SummerWood Winery makes it a bit easier on you by offering such a great value. The 2022 release is only $35. Buy half a case, and stagger them over the years. Open one right away and make notes about your drinking experience. Then, drink one every 18 months thereafter and consider the evolution of the wine. You will be rewarded and have a new go-to in your repertoire.

For making an exceptional Marsanne with outstanding aging potential at a reasonable price, the 2018 SummerWood Winery Marsanne Paso Robles is our October wine of the month.

Learn more about SummerWood Winery, follow them, and purchase their wine here:

https://www.summerwoodwine.com

@thesummerwoodwinery

In all the years we have been featuring a wine of the month at Peninsula Underground we have never had one from Italy. We don’t have any bias against Italy; just chalk this up to, “these things happen.”

Of course, our featured wine isn’t necessarily the best wine we have tasted in a given month; other factors are also in play. Does it deliver great value? Is it an interesting varietal or blend? Can it provide an opportunity to educate? Our September wine of the month, the 2022 Inama Soave Classico, answers “yes” to all of these questions.

As in most of the wine world outside of the United States, wine labels indicate where the grapes were grown, not the grape varietal. Soave is a town in the Veneto region of northeast Italy that primarily grows the white grape Garganega. Chances are you have never heard of this grape, let alone tasted the wine it produces. That should change.

The Inama Soave Classico Garganega grapes were grown in the original hillside vineyards around Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone. The Soave DOC dates back to 1968. Over time, the vineyards and region have expanded outside the original center. This expansion can often lead to reduced quality. “Classico” indicates that these particular grapes come from the original growing region, and are therefore generally of higher quality.

While ageworthy, the Inama Soave Classico is a joy to drink now. Pale lemon in color with zingy, high acidity and a touch of salinity giving the wine a medium plus finish. Aromas of tangerine, peach, melon, and a hint of mint. If you hold this bottle for several years, expect aromas to change to almond and marzipan.

Best of all, our wine of the month is a great value. You can pick it up at www.hitimewine.net for just $13.98.

For providing a tasty, zingy white wine from the classic region of Soave at a terrific price, the 2022 Inama Soave Classico is our September wine of the month.

Learn more about Inama here:

https://www.inama.wine/en/

Purchase here:

https://www.hitimewine.net/inama-2023-soave-classico-303993

A research study by Sonoma State University of 1,194 American wine consumers found that only 6% save their wine for aging. In many cases, that’s a shame; so many wines benefit from added time in the bottle. For those of you who can’t wait, our August wine of the month is for you: Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg Zweigelt Niederösterreich.

Of course, you may now be intimidated because, unless you’re a real wine enthusiast, you probably don’t have any idea what that wine is.

Don’t be scared.

Zweigelt is Austria’s most widely planted red varietal. It is a fairly new crossing of the native varieties Blaüfrankisch and St. Laurent, and is named for the doctor who cross bred the grapes in 1922.

Schlosskellerei (German for “castle winery”…the Schlosskellerei label is carried on all the classic wines of the estate) Gobelsburg is the producer and is located in Niederösterreich (“Lower Austria”) in northeastern Austria. Its vineyards date back to 1171. That’s more than 850 years old! Ironically, our August wine of the month is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It is meant to be consumed young.

This Zweigelt is a deep ruby color and delivers aromas of fresh blackberry, sour cherry, and violet of medium intensity. On the palate, it is juicy, fresh, and linear, reflective of its cool climate. With air and time the wine exhibits subtle herbaceousness and wet wool. Tannins are medium and acid is low. Not heavy-handed at 12.5% ABV. It is a bright, fresh wine and in many ways Austria’s take on Beaujolais. It can be consumed immediately upon purchase, when it’s at its best, or cellared for a maximum of four to five years. Best of all, you can purchase it for around $20.

So, if you are invited to a friend’s house for dinner and want to impress them with an esoteric wine that can be consumed right after purchase and is gentle on the budget, then we highly encourage you to pick up the Schlosskellerei Gobelsburg Zweigelt Niederösterreich, our August wine of the month.

Learn more about Schloss Gobelsburg, follow them, and purchase their Zweigelt here:

https://www.gobelsburg.at

@winery.schlossgobelsburg

https://www.wine.com/product/schloss-gobelsburg-schlosskellerei-zweigelt-2021/1585219

As the calendar turns to July and we prepare to celebrate our nation’s 248th birthday, our wine of the month takes on a patriotic theme by honoring a great wine made by a great American.

Major Jason Mergenov (Ret.) is the owner and winemaker of Los Alamos-based Rockets Red Wines. Jason spent 22 years in the United States Air Force and started taking classes in winemaking while still on active duty. Using the GI Bill, Jason graduated from Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California, with degrees in winemaking and grape growing. While in school, he worked part-time in tasting rooms and doing internships, learning various aspects of the wine industry.

Jason started Rockets Red Wines in 2018 to share amazing wines and highlight his time in the military while giving back to veterans and the local community. He specializes in small batch, quality rosés and reds, featuring grapes sourced from vineyards throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

In 2021, Jason’s PTSD, that he had been suppressing for 18 years, caused major depression and he hit rock bottom. In May 2022, he attended the Home Base Program Intensive Clinical program, where he received life saving and transformative therapy. Since then, Jason has dedicated his life to raising awareness for mental health and using his voice, wines, and winemaking as a platform to highlight those issues. 

Jason’s Rockets Red Resilience (Grenache) is dedicated to all the veterans struggling with the invisible wounds of war, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Home Base Program. In fact, Rockets Red Wines gives back to the community every year, from veterans in need to small-town school students struggling during a pandemic.

In our just completed 2024 Under the Radar California Wine Competition, Jason won best-in-class sparkling wine for the second year in a row with his 2023 Rockets Red Fizzion Petillant Naturel, our July wine of the month. "Pet Nat"--a sparkling wine made by bottling the wine before the first fermentation is complete--is all the rage now among a newer generation of wine drinkers and gaining steam with experienced winos as well. Rockets Red Fizzion has playful, fizzy bubbles that deliver strawberry, tart apple, and cherry blossom, with a backbone of minerality. The perfect addition to your 4th of July celebration and to your summer rotation. You will love this wine.

We have been honored to have Jason and Rockets Red Wines in our Under the Radar California competitions the last two years. For his distinguished contributions to the country, to the community, and to the wine industry, his 2023 Rockets Red Fizzion is our July wine of the month.

Purchase Rockets Red Wines and follow them here:

https://rocketsredwines.co

@Rockets_Red_Wines 

This is the 54th consecutive month we have highlighted a wine of the month. What goes into its selection? Is it simply the wine we liked the best over the past month? No. Whether you like a wine or not is subjective, so that can’t be the criteria. Some people don’t like Pinot Noir. They think it’s not big and bold like a Cabernet Sauvignon and therefore never drink it. Other people swear by Pinot; it’s their go-to wine.

The professional, certified tasters at Peninsula Underground have their personal favorites but they judge all wines, not just those they like. Each varietal has characteristics based upon region, climate, weather, slope, aspect, soil, and winemaking, just to name a few factors. This is sometimes loosely referred to as “terroir.” The aromas, flavors, acid, tannin, length, etc. are identified and used to judge a wine against its varietal peers. In other words, whether you like a wine is subjective, but what it is is objective. It’s one of the first things you learn as you go through certification.

When we get together as judges we always begin by reviewing what to expect from the wines on our docket. We never stop learning or trying to improve.

With that background in mind, our choice for June wine of the month, the 2023 Goosecross Cellars Rosé for Lucy (100% Pinot Noir) Napa Valley, is a model wine for teaching certain traits. (And, yes, it’s delicious!)

Judges first describe the color and intensity of a wine. Rosé is typically pink, salmon, or orange. The Goosecross Rosé for Lucy, named for the vintners’ daughter, is a classic pale salmon. We then judge the aroma: identifiable characteristics and intensity. Our June wine of the month has a wonderfully pronounced aroma. While you can pick out many descriptors, like strawberries or lime, this wine is most notable for its textbook cantaloupe.

Detecting aromas from a wine is a learned skill. Master Sommelier Peter Neptune tells his students that his job is to get them to learn his nose and palate. We can imagine him using this Goosecross Cellars Rosé for Lucy as the teaching wine for picking out the smell of cantaloupe. It’s what you would imprint on your brain, as a taster, to call upon later.

We had the pleasure of tasting through all of Goosecross’s wonderful wines on their patio not far off the Silverado Trail. We are grateful for Angelica’s courtesy in making arrangements to welcome us and for Antwaun, our new favorite wordsmith, for hosting us. Ask for him if you visit; your conversation with him—and his exuberant personality—enhances the tasting experience.

Winemaker Bill Nancarrow employed stainless steel aging to give the Rosé for Lucy a clean, fresh mouthfeel with bright acidity, allowing the fruit to be the star and carrying it to a long, satisfying finish. You need to pick up this wine now, before it’s gone, so that you have it for the summer. Outstanding value for $39.00.

So, later this month, when you’re having an afternoon get together, pull out our June wine of the month, the 2023 Goosecross Cellars Rosé for Lucy Napa Valley, pour it for your friends, and impress them with your tasting prowess. You can thank us later!

Learn more about Goosecross Cellars, purchase their wine, and follow them here:

https://goosecross.com

@goosecrosscellars

Do a self evaluation of your wine journey. Are you stuck in a rut? Always buying that same old buttery Chardonnay or smack-you-in-the-face Cabernet Sauvignon? Ultimately, if you enjoy it, then it doesn’t matter. But if you are at all curious and open to new experiences, then the world of wine has so much more to offer. Region, climate, weather, soil, slope, aspect, and technique can affect the wine so that the same varietal can have very different expressions.

Take Syrah, for example. For the most part, this Northern Rhône grape yields a wine featuring dark fruits, black pepper, and high tannins. In a warmer climate, like Paso Robles, that black pepper may turn to licorice. It’s a big, bold wine.

But it doesn’t have to be. Enter carbonic maceration and our May wine of the month, the Coquelicot* Estate Vineyard Carbonic Syrah Los Olivos District.

Carbonic maceration is a winemaking technique in which whole clusters of grapes are placed inside a sealed container that is filled with carbon dioxide. In this oxygen-free environment the grapes ferment from the inside (intracellular fermentation) until they crush under their own weight and release the juice so that the ambient yeast can finish the job. The result is a juicier wine with bright acidity and low tannins. Perhaps the most famous example of this style is Beaujolais Nouveau, made from Gamay and released every November around Thanksgiving.

Coquelicot’s winemaker, Mike Roth, has employed this technique to make a wonderfully bright Syrah with fresh candied flavors where the red fruit is more prominent than the black. Think jolly rancher, kirsch, and bubble gum, with violet on the nose as well. There is a hint of tannin to provide some texture and structure, but it’s not brooding as in a typical Syrah. This is a wine meant to be drunk young to take advantage of its freshness. A completely different, and still enjoyable, Syrah experience.

Also notable is the appearance. Mike wisely chose a clear glass bottle to highlight the color, which would technically be classified as a medium purple but we would call medium magenta (red wines are professionally described as either ruby, purple, garnet, or tawny). It’s beautiful.

Next time you’re in Los Olivos make a point to visit Coquelicot for a tasting. Try their Carbonic Syrah, our May wine of the month. You’ll be hooked. At $35 it’s a great value, and since this wine is meant to be drunk now, you can push back your buttery Chards and big Cabs for a while. You may even decide on your next wine adventure.

Learn more about Coquelicot, book your appointment, and purchase their wine here:

https://www.coquelicotwines.com

@coquelicot_wines

*(ko-klee-ko) 

Think about your favorite winery. The vineyard or tasting room you love to visit. You’re big fans of the wine they produce and have been club members for years. Maybe you’ve even volunteered there for fun.

Then think about buying that winery.

That’s the story of Dee and Todd Krivoshein, who in 2021 purchased Washington’s Page Cellars, home of the 2019 Preface Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, our April wine of the month.

Both Dee and Todd come from farming families, with Todd helping at his uncle’s Walla Walla winery as a teenager. By the time Dee stumbled upon a winery listed for sale, which turned out to be Page Cellars, on New Year’s Day 2021, the couple had already been club members and cellar volunteers. As they state on their website, they, “acquired the winery to build a family business and legacy. They intentionally chose Woodinville’s Warehouse District to create a tasting experience that immerses guests in the artisanal process of winemaking.”

The 2019 Page Cellars Preface comes from Red Mountain AVA, the perfect growing region for powerful, structured Cabernet Sauvignon. Red Mountain’s first vineyards were planted nearly 50 years ago and it became an AVA in 2001. The Cascade Mountain rain shadow protects the region from the heavy rains on the western side of the state. Its seven inches of annual rainfall is less than half that of Yountville in Napa Valley, and it yields 17 hours of sunlight during the growing season—two hours more than Napa Valley. The large diurnal range (roughly 50-90 degrees Fahrenheit) allows Cabernet Sauvignon to ripen properly, while also retaining acidity.

The 2019 Preface grabs hold of you from the start with pronounced intensity of aroma and flavor. Expect peppercorn, red and black cherry, and violet, layered with warm spice, vanilla, and pipe tobacco. The wine has a luxurious mouthfeel, outstanding balance, and a long finish. A bold Cabernet Sauvignon with great structure and a long life. It’s no surprise that the 2019 Preface won a gold medal in our 2024 Washington State Wine Competition.

The Woodinville Warehouse District, about 20 miles northeast of Seattle is one of the country’s great wine-tasting areas, with more than 100 tasting rooms to visit. When you go, make sure Page Cellars is one of your stops and taste their 2019 Preface Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, our April wine of the month. Tell Dee and Todd that Peninsula Underground sent you.

Learn more about Page Cellars, purchase their wine, and follow them here:

https://pagecellars.com

@PageCellars 

Imagine pressing just one drop of nectar from each grape to produce a wine. Does that really happen? What is the process? The wine must be prohibitively expensive!

The answers are: yes, we’ll explain, and not terribly.

Icewine is something of a delicacy in the wine world. Grapes remain on the vine long and into winter until the point they freeze and then they are picked. At Peller Estates Winery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, home of our March of the Month, the 2019 Million Icewine VQA Niagara Peninsula, they do this with their Vidal grapes at -10*C (14*F). The sugars and other dissolved solids in the grape do not freeze, but the water does, allowing a more concentrated grape nectar to be pressed from the grape. Because the balance of sugars and water have been shifted, the result is a lusciously sweet wine suitable as an aperitif.

The wine is a medium gold color, approaching amber. Expect a very pure array of fruit on the palate: citrus, stone, and tropical. There is wonderfully refreshing acidity to provide backbone, and a long, lingering, honey finish. It is such a treat. Pair this with your dessert or after-dinner cheeses. And because the sugar levels are so high, this wine only reaches 11% ABV, making it (slightly) guilt free!

Icewine is not poured the way a typical glass of red or white wine is poured. It is best savored in small quantities. That is why Peller Estates Winery makes our March wine of the month in a 200 mL bottle. Given what it takes to make this wine, it is a surprisingly good value at $55. We highly recommend it.

Learn more about Peller Estates Winery, purchase their wine, and follow them here:

https://www.peller.com

@pellerwines

The tag line on our Peninsula Underground logo is, “Find Great Wines.” To do so, you often must step outside your comfort zone. There are so many exciting wines in the world—wines that make your palate come alive. But if you are used to drinking the same two or three varietals, how will you ever come to appreciate other great wines? If you want to improve your aerobic fitness, you need to run more. If you want to increase your muscle mass, you need to lift more weights. If you want to upgrade your wine palate, you need to drink different wines.

The first step in expanding your wine horizon is our February wine of the month, the 2021 St. Avalo Nero d’Avola Los Olivos District Santa Barbara County.

Nero d’Avola is the most important red-wine grape in Sicily and has more recently popped up in Valle de Guadalupe and Mendocino County. This expression from St. Avalo is deep purple in color and has a pronounced intensity of aroma and flavor. There are a plethora of identifiable characteristics that are impressively balanced. Primary descriptors: blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, black currant, violet, black currant leaf, and wet wool. Secondary: toast, butterscotch, and chocolate. Tertiary: savory and vegetal. This wine has fruit on the midpalate that adds layers of complexity on the velvety finish. A high acid, high tannin, full-bodied treat that can be enjoyed now or over the next 7-10 years. We scored it a 93.7 a few months ago and scores will only go up from there. Outstanding.

We were first introduced to Diana & Oliver Ramleth, and the impressive team at St. Avalo, in our 2023 Under the Radar California Competition, where they took home Best in Class for their Pinot Grigio and Vermentino. Their first release of reds (Sangiovese, Dornfelder, Gamay Noir, and Pinot Noir, in addition to the Nero d’Avola) has been a revelation. And, with a new tasting room soon to open in Los Olivos, word will spread quickly about this new gem in the wine world.

We so appreciate St. Avalo’s contributions to the industry by making outstanding varietals that give us a chance to grow in our wine journey. For that reason, the 2021 St. Avalo Nero d’Avola Los Olivos District Santa Barbara County is our February wine of the month.

Purchase, learn more, and follow St. Avalo here:

https://www.stavalo.com

@StAvaloWine 

If you believe that a new year is about starting fresh—a clean slate—then shouldn’t your first wine of the year be symbolic of this mindset?

A big, heavy Cabernet Sauvignon or Sagrantino suggests more about comfort, the status quo. Fat and happy. They don’t set the tone for renewal. What does?

Albariño.

From Rías Baixas in Galicia in the northwest Iberian Peninsula—a region know as green Spain—Albariño grows near the European frontier of the Atlantic Ocean. Go west, young grape! It thrives in cooler climates (winter renewal) and does well with rainfall (cleansing). It is typically fermented in inert vessels, like stainless steel, to preserve the pronounced aromas of citrus, stone fruit, and apple. It is fresh and clean with high acidity and salinity.

To get us in the mood for this winter rebirth, we chose the 2021 Albariño de Fefiñanes D.O. Rías Baixas as our January wine of the month. It is a wonderful expression of the variety with red apple, honeysuckle, brininess, and high acidity. The wine dances about the palate in a way that wakes up your senses. It is rejuvenating. A perfect start to the new year. 

Best of all, you can buy this wine for less than $35. We picked it up at Hi-Time Wine Cellars for $31.98. A fantastic value.

Your January does not need to be dry to start fresh—your wine just needs to set the proper tone. Try the (dry) 2021 Albariño de Fefiñanes D.O. Rías Baixas, our January wine of the month, and you’ll see what we mean.

Learn more about Bodegas Fefiñanes here:

https://www.fefinanes.com/es/

@BodegaFefinanes

Purchase from Hi-Time here:

https://www.hitimewine.net/fefinanes-2021-albarino-380557