If you were a college football fan in the early 90s you'll recognize the name as one of the best to put on a Notre Dame Fighting Irish uniform. If you were a college fan of Boston College (my alma matter) in the early 90s you may remember in Rick's senior year when the Irish squeaked by the Eagles 54 - 7.

Rick's winemaker, Rob Lawson, was instrumental in the early days of the "cult" wines. Together they have released the 2007 Mirror Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (600 cases released 10/1/10, $75 per bottle) and the 2010 Mirror Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc (380 cases, released 5/1/2011, $24 per bottle). The 2007 Cab is its third release and has drawn comparisons to Colgin and Spottswood at a fraction of the price.

Rick was kind enough to agree to an interview for you, our readers. Enjoy!

What was the first memory you have of wine?

When I lived in Seattle we used to eat at the Metropolitan Grill almost weekly. They were so good to us there, especially after football games. I sipped on several cabs with my steaks and started to understand how food and wine go together.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

I really liked Phelps Insignia early on, 1998 Hourglass Cabernet was the first wine to really get my attention.

Do you think it's the taste of the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good? Why?

I believe it is both. The company you are in, the weather, the occassion all can help. The bottom line is that if you like it, it's good.

How big is your cellar?

I have a fairly small, but developed cellar. 1000 bottles plus my Mirror library.

What is your favorite varietal? Why?

I prefer Cabernet, but like to drink most varietals, Syrah and Grenache are on my radar these days.

What is your favorite region for wine?     

Napa comes first. I have tried many others and keep coming back.

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

Mirror obviously. Our St. Helena and Oakville sources are some of the best there are anywhere.

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, regon,  year)

Some of the 1997 Napa Cabs were so good. Bryant, Hurlan, etc. Awesome vintage overall.

What wine are you saving for a special day?

Magnum of 1985 Mouton Rotschild.

Where do you buy the majority of your wine?

I like to get it from the source. Most of the domestic stuff I buy comes from the winery itself. I like to know the people.

Have you ever had an organic wine? Did you like it?

I'm not sure. Technically our wine is organic, but not organically certified. It's proably something that will be more common soon.

What's the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

Probably $500-600.

What was your favorite wine experience?    

I have had many. Recently I was having dinner with a Master Sommelier and he blind tastd us after we had a few other gems.

I nailed the wine he poured, a 2004 Cabernet Franc. He was impressed. That is a good time to guess right!

What one wine do you recommend our readers try?

 2007 Mirror Cabernet Sauvignon.  Our 3rd vintage and still a brand new name to so many. We are really proud pof the wines Rob is making for us.

What are they?

Wine futures allows consumers to buy wines very early in the process, not only before the wines have been offered to the general public, but before the wines have even been bottled. The prices are set after the wines are tasted in the barrels (typically the spring after the harvest – barrel tastings of 2010 Bordeaux happened in late-March/early-April 2011).

picture from: www.sokolin.com 

Top Five Tips on Wine Futures from Got Tannins -

1 – Buy only from a reputable reseller/merchant

2 – Wine futures are an investment. Value over time can go up, stay the same, or go down.

3 – Buy first growths (premier cru) – Chateau Laffite Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour, Chateau Haut Brion, Chateau Mouton Rotschild – they are expensive, but in high demand and most likely to hold or gain in value.

4 – Have patience…it’s going to be two years from purchase until you get the bottle…then probably another 10+ years to drink.

5 –The wine you are buying has potential, but will it turn out be Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning?

350 bottles of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay will be auctioned at a fixed-price of $40 (the bottles are signed). They are also offering a 6 liter bottle along with a lunch for two with Biz Stone. The other package available (not specifically wine related) includes lunch for one with Biz Stone and a one day internship at Twitter.

The wine and auction are in partnership with Room to Read, a non-profit focused on improving literacy. 

The Twitter page for Fledgling Wine is: http://twitter.com/fledgling and the official auction page is here. 

You may remember Steven from his wide-ranging interview where he covering everything from Manischewitz at Passover to Spanish wines of the 1960s. You can read the interview here. 

This third edition is organized into five distinct parts.

The first part  is an introduction to the fundamentals (how wine is made, how to taste wine). The second and third segments cover wines by region. The second part covers "New World" wines, defined as North America and the Southern Hemisphere. And the third part covers wines of the "Old World" - France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Eastern Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and Asia. 

This wine bible then extensively covers how to pair wine and food and even has a chapter on wine and your health. The conclusion of the main part of the book talks about a few areas that many people will love. And they will love it because its an arena that people want to gain some smarts - how to buy and store wine and how to understand wine lists. 

One of the segments of the book our wine loving friends enjoyed was found in the appendix - the authors cover how to read a wine label and show images of wine labels from around the world and provide a detailed explanation of what everything means.

We highly recommend this book and it would be a great holiday gift that will stand the test of time.

A bit of background. Her interest in wine began in college in Durango, CO, then continued on in Chicago where she worked under the chef Charlie Trotter. The fine dining experience led her to continue her pursuit in wine and led her to accept a "crush" position at Joseph Phelps Vineyards in 1999. After some hands-on cellar experience she was promoted to lab technician and then to Associate Winemaker. In 2008 she was promoted to Winemaker and works alongside Damian Parker and lives in St. Helena.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards is widely known for its Insignia wine. In 2002 Wine Spectator ranked it the #1 wine of the year. Lesser known about the vineyards is the work done to help make Syrah more popular in this country. 

What was the first memory you have of wine?

My sister had a “wine and cheese” party for her graduation from High School circa 1985

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine?

Joseph Phelps – seriously! I came to the winery for a visit in 1994 and fell in love with the wine!

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why?

Both! Certainly a mediocre wine can taste better with friends and great food while tasting it alone it could be a disaster. Then a well made/grown wine to me will always taste good on its own but even better with friends/family and fantastic food

How big is your cellar?

Not sure maybe 180 bottles?

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why?

Syrah, because it is so interesting and different in each region throughout the world that it is grown.

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. NapaValley, MargaretRiver, Montelcino)

St. Emilion and Condrieu

What is your favorite vineyard or brand?

Probably Yves Cuilleron

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year)

A vintage champagne

What wine are you saving for a special day?

A bottle of Gaja that Mr. Gaja gave to me in 2004

Where do you buy the majority of your wine?

Trade or purchase when traveling. Acme fine wines in St. Helena

Have you ever had an organic wine?  Did you like it?

Yes, organically grown wine = good, Organically made wine = please add some sulfur for heavens sake

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine?

$400

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)?

Tasting 2003 Chateau Ausone at Chateau Ausone out of barrel – it is the best wine I have ever had – I love this place/wine

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try?

Papillion by David Phinny

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

Capiaux

Enjoy!

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To show its support EXPO is enabling donations through the American Red Cross as a way for its members to "cash-in" accrued points.

The company is matching donations up to the first 500,000 points donated by consumers. It's $5,000!

We at Gottannins encourage our readers to help support the efforts. 

More information may be found directly at EXPO - 

The twitter hashtag for this campaign is #EXPOforHAITI

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When researching wine tasting applications for the iPhone, there were several features that were important to me;

• Fellow user reviews
• Cost
• Ability to add tasting notes
• Other miscellaneous features

I found seven applications that seemed to fit (or attempt to fit) my criteria;

• Hello Vino
• Wine Steward
• Cellar
• Wine Pad 2
• Tasting Notes
• Wine Words
• iSommelier

After reviewing the cost, features and benefits, and reviews, I would choose to download “Tasting Notes.” With reviews like; "This is like having your very own database with the ability to extend it to track whatever you want. Search features are superior to other apps. The ability to extend the built in lists makes it very handy and makes it easy to add in anything you need to classify your lists" and "Great product and extremely robust customization" it seems to offer everything I would look for in an application. At $2.99 it seems like a good investment and one that I would be willing to try.

After I give birth to my twins in January, I’ll do just that and put it to the test. 

Below is a table containing the basic information about each of the applications: 

App Name	Cost	Avg. Customer Rating	Summary
Hello Vino	Free	2.5	Find the perfect wine to pair with food, enjoy on its own, or gift as a gift. Hello Vino assists the beginner wine consumer with recommendations.
Wine Steward	$0.99	2.5	Personalized wine pairings with a unique wine pairing algorithm, cellar diary, photo storage of labels.
Cellar	$2.99	3.5	A portable showcase of what's currently in your cellar or wine rack. Customize the look of the bottle or use a photograph and add information; brand, region, vintage, grape, price, rating, personal notes.
Wine Pad 2	$3.99	2.5	Record the wine name, vintage, price, rating, color, clarity, aroma, taste and personal notes. Use pre-populated lists of category descriptions such as type, varietal, winery, region and pairing. Rate the wines you try. Store a picture of the wine label.
Tasting Notes	$2.99	3	Here is how you can keep your tasting notes near you at all times. Tasting notes is the pan-ultimate appfor logging your thoughts on wine, beer, whiskey, cigars and more. You can even create entire new journals from scratch with Tasting Notes' customization features.
Wine Words	$0.99	1	This app is for anyone who loves wine or wants to learn more about it. Open this application up every day and you'll be shown a new word that has to do with wine. Whether it be a city where wine is made, a type of grape, or a process which is used to create a flavor, you're certain to learn something new.
iSommelier	$0.99	No reviews yet	iSommelier will help you in going through the wine list at the restaurant. Select what you'll be eating, and the app will recommend the varietal that goes best with your meal.

 

 Download an app and let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.

Buena Vista's 2006 version has a bit of black cherry on the nose, the finish is fairly pronounced, and the wine is not very tannic.  We purchased the bottle at Von's in San Diego and would recommend it with lighter fare. It will run  you approximately $25.

In a rather odd note, the notes on the Buena Vista website about the wine mentions specifically that with this vintage (2006), Buena Vista Carneros started using screwcaps as the closure on its wines. "I am adamant in delivering the best expression of our vineyards. I believe this closure captures the pure Pinot Noir aromas and flavors and will deliver the best quality in the glass," remarks Winemaker Jeff Stewart. Either the website made a simple mistake and included the wrong copy with this 2006 Pinot, or not all of the bottles were screwcaps. Our bottle had a traditional cork!

Don Reha joined the Orfila Vineyards in 2009 after Leon Santoro passed away in January of this year. He has grown up in the wine industry with experience on his childhood family vineyards in Ukiah, CA (Mendocino County). As a winemaker his career started at Fetzer Vineyards in Redwood Valley and studied at UC Davis focusing on Enology and Fermentation Sciences. 

Gottannins is happy to provide you with some of his insight. Enjoy!

What was the first memory you have of wine?  

When my Great Uncle, Joseppi Lorenzi, would give us kids a small “Cheez-Whiz” glass of half wine and half water when I was about 4 years old.

What was the first wine that you considered to be good wine? 

There were 2 – A Fetzer Vineyards 1985 Reserve Chardonnay – Mendocino County, and a 1982 Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cab

Do you think it's the taste of a good wine or the experience while drinking the wine that makes it good?  Why? 

I think a combination of both. When all the sensory elements of a wine are banging, and the wine completely exceeds your expectations of the varietal, you tend to remember it. And when you are drinking a wine during a particularly memorable event, such as a first date, everything is good because your mood is heightened, and it seems nothing can be less than stellar! I’ve had those moments where a wine seems outstanding at the time because of the circumstances, then had the same wine again….. maybe alone….. and it just wasn’t as good as I seemed to remember.

How big is your cellar?  

I tend to have an average of about 500 bottles in my cellar at any given time, but I call it my “McDonalds” wine collection – because of the high turnover rate!

What is your favorite varietal (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)? Why? 

Hmmm….. if I had to pick just one, I would have to go with Zinfandel. Anyone who knows me knows my focus has been on Zinfandel for many years, and because it is so versatile, and can be so different from one appellation to the next, there is always something this varietal can teach you.

What is your favorite region for wine (i.e. Napa Valley, Margaret River, Montelcino) 

Well, besides the South Coast in general, I would have to say the Anderson Valley because of the Pinot Noirs, and the Douro Valley in Portugal, because of the effort it takes to grow grapes on the steep hillsides there, and also it’s the only place I know of that you can drive along those 1 ½ lane roads all day and stop at a little roadside shack for a beer and a salted sardine for a snack

What is your favorite vineyard or brand? 

It changes all the time, but right now it’s Goldeneye in Anderson Valley for their Pinot’s

Do you have a favorite bottle? (varietal, region, year) 

1995 Screaming Eagle Napa Valley

What wine are you saving for a special day?  

1999 Dom Perignon

Where do you buy the majority of your wine? (Retailer, Direct, etc. Feel free to name the store you shop at or the site you buy from) Mostly at the winery, to take advantage of interwinery discounts. Can’t seem to get that discount at Bev-Mo!

What is the most you've ever spent on a bottle of wine? 

$1,350.00 during a dinner with a supplier from an equipment company. It was in Bordeaux during a trade show, and the bistro was recommended to us because of their wine list, and hey, I had a company credit card, so why not?

What was your favorite wine experience (or one of your top experiences)? 

One of my top experiences was the Blue Jeans to Black Tie dinners they used to have every year the night before the big ZAP tasting in San Francisco. There was just something about being dressed in Levi’s with a black tie…. And drinking so many Zinfandels in one night, that your teeth were stained red for a week!

Do you have an embarrassing or funny experience to share? 

Oh, I have plenty of great stories. Especially from my time at Renwood Winery in Amador county with a couple of co-workers that were close friends, but to tell them could really embarrass others involved, so let’s just say that what happened at Renwood stayed at Renwood!

What one wine do you recommend for our readers to try? 

The Orfila “Lotus” Estate Viognier.  It’s why I love this varietal!

What is an up-and-coming wine (or winery) you think is a good value right now?

I think Syrah is still the up and coming red varietal. It is still slowly but surely gaining ground, and there are some exceptional values that still exist today for this variety.

For more information about purchasing wines from Orfila, please click here. 

Along with Craig and John from one of our favorite stores, BinEnds Wine in Boston, Noah from Crushpad, and Adam Levin from Snooth, we provided thoughts on topics such as wine clubs and helping relax state-to-state shipping laws.

The article can be found here: http://www.shoestringmag.com/eat-drink/eat-drink-bargain-booze-buying-basics Please feel free to leave your comments there. Enjoy.