Since the sale of the old vineyards off Highway 9 to Mount Eden, George Troquato has been sourcing fruit from all over the state, particularly Paso Robles and Monterey. However he still produces a couple of wines from local fruit - a Pinot Noir from Lester Family Vineyard, and a rather nice Chardonnay.

The fruit for the 2012 Chardonnay was sourced from two small vineyards high above  Los Gatos; the 40 year old Wright’s Station Vineyard - http://www.wrightsstation.com - and the nearby 25 year old single acre Skyland Vineyard on Skyland Ridge.

A fairly typical Santa Cruz Mountains style of Chardonnay; citrus and tropical fruits on the nose; plush apple, lemon and vanilla on the palate. There's French oak but it's not excessive.

$38 at the winery tasting room in Saratoga.

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This review marks a milestone for the blog; it's the first time that a winery has contacted me to submit wines for review.

The first wine is Cinnabar 'Lot 310 Philosophers stone' As I've noted before, non-vintage wines and wines with a 'California' appellation can be something of a hard sell. The Philosopher Stone is such a wine; it's a blend of 67% 2006 Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley and Sonoma Valley, and 33% 2004 Teroldego from the Mistral Vineyard in the San Ysidro District.

I decanted and served it immediately. In the glass it had a clear, deep garnet colour. The nose jumped out with black fruits, oak and white pepper; with a little air more perfume emerged. On the palate it was spicy and peppery, with lots of raspberry fruit and an oaky finish. It was nicely balanced; the acid seemed a little on the light side and the tannins were soft. It didn't seem to change significantly over the course of the hour or two that it was open; I think it's probably as good as it's going to get but can hold. Overall it's a delicious wine and at $32 I'd definitely buy this; it's comparable in quality to a Ridge Zin. 92 Recommended.

The Teroldego intrigued me; apparently it's a grape from northern Italy. It's not a variety I'm familiar with, though it's name rang a bell. On checking my cellar I discovered that I had a bottle of 2004 Cinnabar Teroldego, Central Coast, so the following day I opened that as a comparison.

The nose was very different; savoury, with notes of grilled steak, earth/compost, tar and smoke. While there were flavours of sour raspberry and blackberry there was lots of earth and tannin, and as the evening went on that came to dominate the fruit. I'm not sure what that says for its ageing potential; could well be that the tannins will outlast the fruit. Although it's compared by some to Zinfandel I thought it had more in common with Petite Sirah. An interesting wine, but not as good as the blend, and at $35 it's a touch more expensive. 89

The other wine in the package was 2007 Cinnabar Merlot, Paso Robles.

The fruit for this was sourced from two distinct vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA and includes 5% Petit Verdot.

The nose shows black fruit, dust and a little heat from the whopping 15.9% alcohol. On the palate it's fairly flat; there's some nice fruit, soft, ripe tannins which become more prominent on the finish and a fair degree of acidity. I know some Merlot fans who would enjoy this, but for my tastes it's not a particularly interesting wine; I greatly prefer their Mercury Rising blend. $21 86

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Between them, Santa Clara Valley wineries garnered 45 medals at the Chronicle wine competition this year. To celebrate and raise public awareness, Jason Goelz of Jason/Stephens Winery organised a tasting in downtown San Jose. In all, 9 wineries participated. It was a very pleasant event; enough time to visit all the wineries without feeling rushed.

Many of the wineries are only open to the public on the 3rd weekend of the month. Here are my brief notes from the event.

Cinnabar
2006 Mercury Rising (SILVER)
A good value blend of bordeaux varietals sourced from several regions; Napa, sonoma, Lodi and Paso Robles. Meaty, smoky nose; balanced with nice berry fruit.
2007 Pinot Noir, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands (GOLD)
Nice expression of Pinot from this well known vineyard in Monterey County. Rich chocolate and cherry fruit with a lingering finish.

Clos LaChance
2007 "Glittering-Throated Emerald" Chardonnay (GOLD)
This unoaked Chardonnay shows mango and other tropical fruit dlavours. Nice clean, crisp finish. Always a bargain; watch out for it on offer in Safeway and stock up.
2006 "Black Chinned" Syrah (SILVER)
A nice fruity nose leads into good fruit and spice flavours; hints of nutmeg and white pepper. Good oak and tannins.
2006 "Buff-Bellied" Zinfandel (BRONZE)
Light nose; good raspberry fruit. Tart cherries on the finish.
2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (GOLD)
The Estate series is generally available direct from the winery. It spends over 2 years in new French oak. There's big blackcurrant fruit together with espresso and a hint of mint. It's still very young and needs time for the oak and tannins to soften.

Creekview Vineyards
2005 was the first vintage for Creekview, based in San Martin.
2007 Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco (GOLD)
Lemony nose; butter and vanilla on the palate. This is your textbook Californian oak-and-butter Chardonnay.
2006 Syrah (DOUBLE GOLD)
Sourced mainly from the Dorcich vineyard, it also contains 6% Mourvèdre and 3% Négrette.
Dark fruit and a little smoke on the nose, rich sweet fruit on the palate. A real crowd pleaser that's ready to drink.

J. Lohr
Based in San Jose, J Lohr produces over 1 million cases annually from their 3000 farmed acres, mostly in Monterey and Paso Robles. Known mainly for their Estate series found in supermarkets everywhere they also have several high end labels.
2007 Sauvignon Blanc "Carol's Vineyard", Napa Valley (SILVER)
Very aromatic, crisp nose. Peach and gooseberry flavours, with less acidity than I expected. Nice finish.
2007 Pinot Noir "Fog's Reach Vineyard", Arroyo Seco (GOLD)
Notes of sweet cherry and toffee, both on the nose and palate. Fine tannins show on the long finish.
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon "Hilltop Vineyard", Paso Robles (GOLD)
Concentrated flavours of blackcurrant and coffee, with big tannins. Surprisingly good value at $35

Jason/Stephens
First vintage for this partnership of winemaker Jason Goelz and veteran grower Stephen Dorcich.
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon (BRONZE)
Bottled under screw cap and targeted at the restaurant 'by the glass' market, this is an easy drinking, balanced Cabernet. Nice fruit; lightly oaked.
2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Dorcich Estate (BRONZE)
Sourced from the same vineyard, the Estate sees more oak, which shows on the nose. There's also a lot more tannin, but there's decent fruit and nice acidity. Needs another year or so for the oak to integrate.
2006 Syrah (SILVER)
Earthy, smoky, rustic nose. Great fruit, good balance, long tannic finish.

Monte Verde
2006 was the first vintage from this husband and wife team in Morgan Hill. The estate is planted with Spanish varietals Tempranillo and Verdejo.
2006 "Villa Palma" Merlot (BRONZE)
Nose reminiscent of dried lavender. On the palate it's got nice plum fruit, if a little 1 dimensional. Soft tannins on the finish.
2006 "Muritabo" Syrah (SILVER)
A bright nose of red apples. On the palate there's black cherries and coffee, with quite a long finish.

Sarah's Vineyard
2007 Estate Chardonnay (SILVER)
The more I try this wine, the more I like it. There's a nose of green apples and pears; on the palate today it was showing a creamy caramel fudge quality. Very nice.
2007 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains (SILVER)
Similar in style to the Estate, but with more lemon on the nose and more acidity on the palate. Long, rich finish. Two excellent Chardonnays.
2007 Estate Pinot Noir (GOLD)
Spicy nose showing cinnamon and oak; rich cherry fruit with a long finish
2007 Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains (BEST IN CLASS)
Very perfumed nose; it's the Estate and more besides, with the oak showing a little too much at this stage. Give it cellar time.
2005 Syrah, Besson Vineyard (BEST IN CLASS)
For some reason the nose on this reminded me of tinned sweetcorn. A big wine, lots of ripe fruit and a long finish. A nice wine, but a touch too ripe for my personal tastes.

Satori Cellars
Another newcomer; 2006 is their first vintage. Bright, eye catching labels and a real sense of fun.
2006 "Halelujah" Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington (GOLD)
I haven't had many cabs from Washington, but what I've tasted so far has been good. Interesting nose of Vimto and smoke. Good rich, sweet fruit; blackcurrants on toast. Soft, crisp finish.
2006 Estate Zinfandel (NOT ENTERED)
Big, bold raspberry flavours are only hinted at by the light nose. The tannins are firm on the finish.
2006 "Ta Da" Syrah (BRONZE)
A bright nose of blueberries. Soft fruit on the palate and a fairly quick finish
2006 "Ha Ha" Petite Sirah (BRONZE)
It's hard to make a Petite Sirah that isn't a tannic monster, and this is no exception. Smoky, oaky nose and a hint of liquorice on the finish. There's some fruit there but it's mostly obscured by the tannins.

Sycamore Creek
Taken over in 2005 by Bill Holt and Ted Medeiros, of Uvas Creek Vineyard.
2006 Chardonnay, Vanumanutagi Vineyard (GOLD)
Nose of oak and butterscotch. On the palate it shows rich, creamy fruit, particularly honeydew melon.
2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Uvas Creek Vineyard (BRONZE)
Floral nose; violets from the Petite Verdot and some oak. Lush fruit; blackcurrant and brambles. Soft tannins on the finish.
2007 Zinfandel (DOUBLE GOLD)
Sourced from a 1 acre domestic vineyard in Coyote Valley. Bright fruity nose; raspberry and brambly, which follows through to the palate. Very nice acidity and balanced; no heat from the 15% alcohol.

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I was reading an article on SFGate.com where three sommelliers were given $70 and told to buy 7 bottles of wine. Not surprisingly, very few of the wines purchased were from California.

Looking locally, about the only winery I can think of that has a range of wines worth drinking that are available at retail for under $10 is Clos LaChance; I've frequently seen their "Glittering-throated Emerald" unoaked Chardonnay on offer in Safeway for under $10.

All is not entirely lost however. Some wineries do occasionally clear out excess inventory to make way for the latest vintages. Recently I've taken advantage of a couple of these. The only down side (if you consider it to be) is that you have to buy a whole case.

Silver Mountain makes a non-vintage blend called Oscar's Wild. At $17 a bottle it's in the same price range as Cinnabar's Mercury Rising, or Fogarty's Skyline. And it's a reasonable enough blend of Bordeaux varietals. At $17 I'd probably pass, but on a recent vist they were clearing it out for $100 a case - a better than 50% discount.

Down in Santa Cruz, Alexander Cellars are currently selling their 2000 Zinfandel at $22. But to clear space for the next vintage they are offering it at $100 a case. I tried it recently - I doubt that you'll find a better Zinfandel anywhere for the price.

Around the corner from Alexander cellars in the same complex you'll find Equinox and its sibling label, Bartolo. The Bartolo range includes several different varietals including a Sangiovese Rose for $12, a red and white blend called "Cioppino" for $14 and a Syrah for $16. Currently the winery is offering a mixed case - any 12 bottles - for $120.

So that's six wines for $10 or less. The original challenge was for seven; provided they stayed in budget the contestants were allowed to go as high as $15, and all of them included a sparkling wine. Well you could certainly pick up any number of sparkling wines at Safeway for under $15, but we don't necessarily have to go outside the area. Woodside Vineyards has a NV "Champagne" for $12. It's made for them by Weibel vineyard in the East Bay using the Charmat bulk process, which helps keep the costs down, And while I grant you there's far better available if you're prepared to spend the extra money, it'll certainly hold its own against the likes of Korbel, Freixenet and the rest of the sub-$10 sparklers.

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Cinnabar was founded in the early 1980s by Tom Mudd, a former research engineer at SRI in Palo Alto. He'd started growing grapes and making wine at his single acre vineyard in Woodside in the 1970s. Following a failed attempt to purchase Mount Eden in 1982 he scouted out the surrounding hillsides and finally chose a nearby plot of land close to Congress Springs (now Savannah-Chanelle). Clearing and planting began in 1983, with the first commercial vintage in 1986. Tom eventually retired from winemaking and handed over the main duties to George Troquato. Sadly he died last year from complications arising from a lung transplant, aged just 65. In an odd twist of fate the family has since sold the estate vineyards to Mount Eden.

I will admit that until now I haven't been a huge fan of Cinnabar. I was put off by some badly-stored Mercury Rising and an over-the-top Paso Robles Merlot. But I was impressed by what I tasted at the trade event and happened to be in Saratoga so I called in their new tasting room for a more leisurely sampling.

The room is at the end of the main street in Saratoga. It's a fairly nondescript looking building, but inside it's pretty nice. There's the usual winery shop tat around the place and one long curved tasting bar. Tasting fee is $5 (refunded with any wine purchase) which will get you at least four tastes, possibly more depending on what's already open and how busy it is. It's been open almost a year now but still looks brand new; the benches outside look freshly assembled and there's a vinyl banner type sign on the grass outside.

Server Aaron is a big, friendly chap who does know his stuff much better than your average tasting room staffer; he has an interest in wines and isn't just reciting a script. There's also a proper spittoon, not just a dump bucket, for those of us who are driving.

Cinnabar has three distinct ranges. They produce 15,000-20,000 cases annually, the vast majority of which is the "tapestry" range; it's what you see in supermarkets and on restaurant wine lists. The flagship label carries the Santa Cruz Mountains designation; around 250 cases each are made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Fruit for these was sourced from various small vineyards around Saratoga as well as the estate vineyard. (Although the latter has since been sold it seems unlikely that the label will be discontinued.) The third label is intended primarily for wine club members and visitors to the tasting rooms, and comprises small lots of a range of varietals purchased from many different AVAs.

2006 Mercury Rising Blanc A blend of three varietals. Sauvignon Blanc is the most prominent, with Semillon and Viognier in there too. Fruit is sourced from vineyards as far afield as Monterey, Sonoma and Clarksburg, near Sacramento. If you find Sancerre and New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs to be too acidic or grassy then you might like this - the Semillon rounds off the palate. Good. $14.

2006 Monterey Chardonnay A pleasantly crisp wine, light on the oak and with flavours of apples and minerals. Good clean finish. $19

2006 Central Coast Pinot Noir Nice nose of roses and cherries, with a pleasantly spicy flavour. The only thing I didn't like about this was the $26 price, though it should be easy to find under $20.

2005 Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot Noir A lovely wine with a nose of violets and on the palate spicy cherry flavours and a nice dash of oak. $42 at the winery, but around $35 elsewhere.

2005 Mercury Rising This is the wine that Cinnabar is best known for. It's a bordeaux blend; the sources are even more diverse than for the white, with fruit coming from Mendocino, Lodi and Paso Robles, as well as locally. It's a smooth, easy drinking red; not one for the cellar, but ideal to buy and drink tonight, which is one of the reasons it's popular in restaurants. $19.50

2005 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley When it comes to Zinfandel, not counting the Santa Cruz Mountains, where there's way too little of it grown, Dry Creek is my favourite appellation. I've mentioned before that Robert Parker doesn't rate the 2005 Zinfandel vintage and I've yet to find any logical reason for this. Here's another great example of a Dry Creek Zinfandel - it's not over the top, it's balanced with ripe berry fruits and soft tannins. Would be interesting to throw this in a blind tasting along some of the better known names. Not cheap though at $35.

Late Harvest Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains (38 Brix, 12.9% abv, 179 g/l residual sugar)

I must admit to being a big fan of the stickies, particularly Sauternes and Tokaji, but not so keen on the domestic ones, largely because they simply can't compete in terms of value-for-money. This wine is made by a Cryoextraction process - freezing ripe Chardonnay grapes and pressing them while still frozen so that the juice gets concentrated. It's similar to the process by which eiswein is made, except that the freezing is done artificially. I tasted it at the trade event and again today; the difference was marked. At the trade event the bottle was freshly opened and the wine tasted of honey and lemon curd. Here it had clearly been open a little longer and showed notes of mandarin oranges instead of lemon. The down side to the wine is that it doesn't have the bracing acidity of an ice wine or the botrytis spice of a Sauternes. The price isn't that unreasonable at $34, but there wasn't enough going on to excite me.

Late Harvest Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Cruz Mountains (40 Brix, 12.6% abv, 263 g/l residual sugar)

This was made in the same way as the Chardonnay, and this time I really have to question the wisdom of the approach. A slightly brown-tinged rose in colour, it smells and tastes like liquid strawberry jam. As with the Chardonnay there's not enough acidity to really pass for eiswein and there's way too much residual sugar - we're talking pancake syrup. (To put it into perspective, 263g/l is about the level at which most wine grapes are usually picked - 24 Brix - to produce a wine of around 14% alcohol). The only accompaniment that I can think of would be bitter chocolate truffles. Having said that, there are going to be some people who will just adore it, but for my money Van Der Heyden makes a much more interesting Late Harvest Cabernet. $32.

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