Drink what you like but drink wine!

 In the 1980s, the historic Spanish winemaking family, Codorniu Raventos, began to acquire and develop land for vineyards in the Carneros region of Napa Valley.

In 1997, they changed the name of their winery, which opened in 1991, from

Codornui Napa to Artesa.

Artesa is Catalan for "handcrafted". 

Artesa has been the leading producer of the well-known artisan varietal wines of  the Carneros and Napa area - Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

On November 20, I was fortunate enough to not only try Artesa wines but to share them with two good friends and be one of the first to try these wines outside of the California tasting room!

 

 

 

While we were partaking of Chef Mike's delicious heavy appetizers and mingling, we were given our first wine to enjoy.

 

2012

Chardonnay

Carneros

 

100% in French oak

18 months vine to bottle

apple, pear, crème brulee

I enjoyed the smell of this Chardonnay much more than the taste.

 

 

 

2012

Estate Reserve Chardonnay

Carneros

 

 

 

This Chardonnay didn't smell as delicious as the first Chardonnay we tried and was definitely more mineral tasting.  It had a grassy smell with a tartness to the palette ending with a hint of cream.

It was fresh and clean and screamed for cheese!

 

Laurence, the regional director for Artesa, who was tag-teaming on the presentation this evening, said that this wine sees oak but uses it wisely; doesn't overdo it. I can appreciate that explanation but I prefer more of an oaky Chardonnay.

 

To be an "estate" wine means that the grapes are grown and the wine is made and bottled right there on the premises.

 

 

2012 Estate Reserve

Pinot Noir

Carneros

 

 

Pinot Noir is a very thin-skinned grape and considered a "girly grape".

 It also made me think of a helium balloon upon first whiff.

 

 

The flavor of this Pinot Noir is not as cherry as usual and actually had a hint of earth over the sweet cherry.  The aroma and aftertaste is better than the actual flavor. It was better than most Cali Pinots but still no comparison to Oregon.

 

At this point in the night is when my love for college basketball came out in full force.

How did that happen, you ask? Well, in Laurence's narrative he mentioned that he lives in Durham, NC and that Coach K is his neighbor. Most people there probably didn't know who Coach K was but I sure did because he is the basketball coach for my favorite college team, the Duke Blue Devils!

 

Laurence: "Coach K is... well....."

In that slight hesitation, although it was probably not absolutely appropriate, I exclaimed, "A God!"

Little did anyone know I had just received a new Duke shirt in the mail an hour before the event.

 

 

2010

Merlot

Carneros

 

 

 

This Merlot smells of wet dirt; dirt after a rainfall, with hints of blackberry and pencil shavings with vanilla on the finish. This Merlot smells nothing like a typical Merlot to me.

It tastes more cherry than the Pinot did too which was very odd!

 

 

 

This event was Anne's first time at my happy place and she gave me some blog-worthy quotes indeed, starting with this one which is quite appropriate:

"A Merlot when left to its own devices can be pretty phenomenal!"



2011

Tempranillo

Alexander Valley

 

When I first saw a Tempranillo (temp-rah-knee-oh) on the tasting table I was surprised.

However, once I realized the family was from Spain, it made perfect sense. 

Tempranillo is the red grape of Spain and while I've had plenty of them, they have always been made in Spain.

 

 

 

This Tempranillo is grown in Artesa's Ridgeline Vineyard (which was referred to as "up on the ridge") in the Alexander Valley which clings to Oak Mountain and overlooks the Russian River in Sonoma County.

Hence, I immediately referred to this wine as "Dierks Bentley Wine".

(He is a country music singer and has a song called Up on the Ridge. You don't know who Dierks is? Man, you're missing out.)

 

 On the nose is licorice wrapped in plastic and while I was optimistic it would taste different than a typical Tempranillo, it did not.

 Kudos to the winemaker though because he totally pulled this off!

I'm just not a fan. Everyone else at the event raved over it.  Good for them.

 

2011

Cabernet Franc

Alexander Valley

 

These grapes stay on the vine longer than usual because the winemaker wants the wine to have more sugar. It was upon this realization that my dear friend, Anne, remarked,

"What man DOESN'T want more sugar?" Yep. No doubt.

Artesa's Cab Franc has aromas of currant and flowers. Upon opening up, I immediately was reminded of my great aunt Lil's perfume with a cherry twist.  When I "get" these things, I don't analyze them, I just go with it. She was obviously there in the room at that moment and made me smile. In fact, this Cab Franc had, by far, the best aroma of the wines at this point in the tasting.

 

As with most Cab Francs, this wine was not overwhelming with green pepper taste which was a nice surprise. Must be the sugar. My lamb ragu would pair nicely with this wine. 

 



 

 

2010

Atlas Peak Estate Reserve

Cabernet Sauvignon

Napa

 

 

This wine has a beautifully jammy smell with a smooth, spicy flavor. On the immediate finish there is a huge vanilla smack in the face which is outstanding! Upon first taste, my reaction was wanting to wrap it in phyllo dough and devour it. Yep, it's that delicious.

 

 



Artesa prides itself on creating balanced wines because they believe balanced wines create longevity.  If this tasting was any indication, Artesa will be in the California wine world for a very long time. 

 

It was great to see my buddy, Laurence, again. In the five years that I have been frequenting my happy place and attending events such as these, Laurence set the bar for presenters. Not only does he have incredible knowledge of the Artesa wines but it is obvious he enjoys his job and his fun-loving personality is contagious.

 

 

 

The Evil Red Genius and I were happy to bring our newbie Winestyles friend, Anne, with us to the event! I think it's safe to say she'll be coming back!

We decided to purchase a bottle of the evening's Cab Franc to share....

I always say you like what you like and you don't have to explain it. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to what you smell or taste in a wine or the type of wine that you like.
At this event, Laurence summed it up even better when he said,

"Drink what you like..... but drink wine!"



"The best kind of wine is that which is most pleasant to him who drinks it."

~ Pliny the Elder, Natural History