SNOB Continues Its Wednesday Wine Tastings

Last night SNOB Wine Bar continued its Wednesday wine tasting series with a flight of German whites. Right up my alley as I prefer whites to reds, generally speaking, and enjoy a bit of sweetness, but not too much, in some whites. On offer were three wines. The first was Schloss Saarstein Riesling 2006. The wine featured rich flavors and a bit of minerality and a smooth, slightly sweet finish. Very tasty. The second selection was a P.J. Valckenberg Kabinett 2006 which exuded rich fruit flavors such as apricot as well as a tropical aroma all finished with a bit of crisp acidity. Definitely my favorite of the evening. The last selection was a Leth Steinagrund 2007. The wine was more dry than the other two and had a citrus finish on the palate. A nice way to end the tasting. The tasting is $10 and includes a flight of the selected wines and cheese, crackers and grapes. Hope you stop by to enjoy.

SNOB Wine Bar
1327 Polk Street
www.sfsnob.com

Wine Tastings at SNOB Wine Bar on Polk

SNOB (Sonoma Napa Or Beyond) Wine Bar on Polk Street is a really cozy wine bar which has a nice and well-priced wine list, as well as a dim and romantic vibe and very friendly servers. They have started a series of wine tastings, usually held on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9pm, and they are a lot of fun. For $10 you get three fairly generous pours out of a list of five or six options, all along the same theme, as well as crackers, cheese and grapes. The last tasting featured French wines, including a Fleur Haut Gaussens Bourdeaux Suprieur, a Marc Kreydenweiss Andlau Riesling, a Bouvet Signature Brut, a Montlouis Sur Loire, a Vin D'Alsace Pinot Blanc. I had the Riesling which was light and fruity and only slightly sweet, quite delicious, and two pours of the Pinot Blanc which was dry and floral and quite pleasant. It's a good deal, a fun spot and the crowd is usually good, so I hope you pop by to enjoy. The next tasting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 20.

SNOB Wine Bar

1327 Polk Street in San Francisco

http://www.sfsnob.com/

Iron Wine America at William Cross Wine Merchants

A bit late in posting on this item but William Cross Wine Merchants in Russian Hill is continuing its series of Iron Wine America tastings this year. They are themed based on the Iron Chef America series on the Food Network, and if last week's tasting is any indication, should be a whole lot of fun. The shop does a tasting each Wednesday starting at 6pm, and last week's tasting featured Oregon Pinot Noirs against Burgundy reds, also made from pinot noir grapes. I enjoyed all six selections, but generally preferred the offerings from Oregon. The 2006 Ponzi Tavola Pinot Noir was my favorite - velvety and rich yet well-balanced and fruity as well. The other selections from Oregon, a 2006 Lange Pinot Noir and a 2005 Rex Hill Reserve Pinot were both nice as well. The selections from Burgundy were a 2005 Domaine Germaine Saint-Romain, a 2006 Dubois Savigny-Les Beaune Les Picotins, and a 2005 Nicholas Rossignol Cuvee L'Hertiere. Generally the European wines were stronger on the nose and tasted more of alcohol than the selections from Oregon, though I did enjoy the Domaine Germaine Saint-Romain quite a bit. The next Iron Wine America tasting should be within the next couple of months, so stay tuned. Cheers.

William Cross Wine Merchants
2253 Polk Street in San Francisco

Krupp Brothers Estate Wines at the California Wine Merchant

California Wine Merchant on Chestnut Street in San Francisco is a really cute wine shop that has a nice wine bar and a small offering of cheeses and breads to go along with the wines you taste, and they do tastings from time to time as well. Yesterday on offer were wines from Krupp Brothers Estate. The owner of the winery was on hand along with one of his operatives. Both really nice folks. The wines range in price from $54.95 to $109.95 a bottle, not generally in my price range, but they were definitely well-crafted and unique. We started with a Veraison 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was a fairly big wine with a bit of pepper that lingered on the palate after a sip. The Krupp Brothers 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Stagecoach Vineyard was almost European big red wine in style, with alcohol being the main aftertaste. The Doctor, a blend of four grapes including mostly Tempranillo and Malbec, was slightly off in my opinion. Not fruity enough, but an interesting flavor combination for sure. We then tasted the Veraison 2004 Synchrony, Stagecoach Vineyard. Certainly more well-balanced than the previous selection, I enjoyed this wine but wasn't sure what food I would pair it with or if it would work on its own generally speaking. The last two selections were my favorites. A Black Bart 2004 Syrah, Stagecoach Vineyard, and a Joshua 2004 Syrah, Stagecoach Vineyard. The latter I thought was really special, but both exhibited nice fruit and good structure. At $15, the Monday tastings are a great way to sample wines you may not otherwise, and perhaps find a hidden treasure. Enjoy.

California Wine Merchant

2113 Chestnut Street in San Francisco

http://www.californiawinemerchant.com/

Turkey Day Wine Tasting at William Cross

Last night at its regularly Wednesday wine tasting William Cross Wine Merchants had on offering their annual collection of Wines to Go with Thanksgiving. The tasting is quite popular so it was standing room only when we arrived. No matter though. We were handed a plate with white and dark meat turkey and some cranberry sauce along with our glasses and we were off and running. The first wine, a 2005 Domaine Stirn Tokay Pinot Gris Cuvee Prestige was absolutely delicious. Fruit-forward and slightly sweet and velvety on the palate. I had it with a bit of white meat turkey and it worked nicely, but I think it's range is fairly wide as far as lighter dishes go. This wine was my as well as my friend's favorite of the evening, though all of the selections were good. We then had a 2006 Bucklin Porter Vineyard Gewurztraminer from Sonoma. It was a sweet wine but not syrupy sweet at all but had a fairly light consistency and finish. It actually tasted really good with the dark turkey meat. The last of the white offerings was a 2005 Guillemot-Michel Quintaine Macon-Villages, which is a Chardonnay aged only in stainless steel. I enjoyed the wine since it wasn't oaked at all, and think it's a nice variety to try if you enjoy lighter-style Chardonnays. The first of the reds was a 2005 Michel Rey Julienas Tres Vielle Vigne. It was ripe with fruit and really tasty. A nice match with turkey for sure. The second red was a 2005 Carter Vineyards Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon. Ahhh, gorgeous. Fruit-forward and rich in color and well-balanced as most Pinots are. A perfect wine for the Turkey Day table for sure. We finished with a 2005 Culler "Casaeda" Syrah from the Sonoma Coast. It had a bit of spice to it and I enjoyed it and would recommend drinking it with heavier items on the holiday table. A really nice way to get excited about the best holiday of the year for sure.

William Cross Wine Merchants

2253 Polk Street in San Francisco