1. Callaway hybrid WhiteBlend NorthCoast (40% Verdelho/35% Viog/25% GWT; 13.7%) CallawayCoastal/Oakville 2012: Light yellow color; rather pineapply/Viog/fruity simple bit dull nose; off-dry rather soft slightly bitter simple/fruity bit pear/Viog/pineapple flavor; med.short somewhat bitter rather off-dry (1%?) fruity/Viog/pear/pineapple simple/dull finish; a pleasant enough fruity nose but dull as dishwater on the palate; no bargain at any price. $12.00 (KK)
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2. Cline Syrah CoolClimate/SonomaCoast (14.5%) Sonoma 2011: Med.dark color; strong green olive/olive tapenade/cold-climate/Syrah rather spicy/blackberry/peppery/blueberry lovely nose; fairly tart black olive/olive tapenade/cold-climate rather blackberry/blueberry/Syrah/slight peppery quite attractive flavor w/ light/smooth tannins; med.long lightly tart olive tapenade/black olive/cold-climate some blackberry/blueberry/Syrah finish w/ light/gentle tannins; a bit lacking on impact/structure but a rather interesting example of cool-climate Syrah. $17.00 (KK)
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Callaway: I have, of course, followed Callaway from the very start...when ElyCallaway pioneered vnyds in Temecula. I have fond memories of legendary reds from Zin/Cab/PetiteSirah and their early Viogniier. Made by TerryLeighton as I recall. So I really wanted to like this wine. I did not. One of the dullest/most innocuous whites I've had in a long time.
Callaway is now owned by AlliedDomecq. They no longer use the Temecula AVA as their signature; sourcing grapes from SantaBarbara/SanLuisObispo/Monterey.
RuthSouroujon wrote:And then there’s the marketing.
It starts with the new packaging that aims to be hip and stylish, according to Souroujon. “We’ve taken our label design cues from architectural, fashion, and high-end retail industries to communicate the lifestyle component of wine,” she says.
Callaway’s research has shown that consumers like the warm, natural palate of colors like saffron, sage, teal, and okra. “The wine package looks great on a restaurant table or in the kitchen,” Souroujon notes.
I think it's time for me & Callaway to part company for good. Anyone who uses okra in their advertising is just a bit too hip for me.
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2. Cline: I've followed Cline from the very start when Fred & Matt Cline, owners of extensive/old vnyds in ClarksburgDelta/ContraCosta, started making wine. They then planted vnyds in Carneros, near the racetrack, and built their wnry there. Matt (and wife, Erin) & Fred parted company about 2001 and went their separate ways. Fred kept the ClineCllrs name.
I tasted thru the ClineCllrs lineup at KoKo ystrday afternoon. I was pretty underwhelmed. They're doing a lot of low-end "Calif" wines that I found rather boring. Their bedrock was the ContraCosta Zin/Mourvedre and Rhone varietals from Carneros/PetalumeGap; which I found rather good and reasonably priced. They have now expanded into "Calif" Chard & Merlot & Viognier that I found pretty dull. The ContraCosta Zin was decent (just that), as was the CC Mourvedre, though no signs of the strong eucalyptus notes it used to sport. The LateHrvst CC Mourvedre was the only interesting wine I found at the tasting.
I recall their CoolClimate Syrah as being pretty good & displaying a lot of cool-climate Syrah character, so I bought a btl off the shelf (they were not tasting it there). It's a pretty decent Syrah and shows good cool-climate character still.
Tom