Mushal Winery and Their Merlot Rosé

At the beginning of February, I tweeted a feeler asking if any wineries who followed me were interested in sending samples for a rosé tasting the San Diego Wine Mafia was going to be doing. Happily for me, Sonia Sandu-Torre, the Director of Marketing at Mushal Winery & Vineyards responded offering to send some samples of their 2009 Mushal Merlot Rosé from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma.

The story behind the founding and evolution of Mushal is one that should be told. Their website does a far better job telling it than I ever could, so click here to learn more about the founder, Avtar Singh Sandhu and his vision. We're quite fortunate to have many small wineries and vineyards in California, and supporting them is the right thing to do, period. These self-proclaimed "little guys" are making wine not for a balance sheet or a business, but because wine enhances the human experience.

Sonia was generous enough to send me two bottles of Mushal's rosé, one of which was opened at the Rosé Rumble and tasted by the San Diego Wine Mafia. The other was opened about two weeks later and tasted by me alone. No blind or double-blind tasting here, but I had forgotten the suggested retail price as I made my tasting notes.

I noticed the color right away, a beautiful pink with hints of orange mixed in, veering a bit towards the lighter end of the rosé color spectrum. One day I want to try a very dark rosé and compare it to the lightest example I can find. I don't think one or the other will be sweeter based on color, but I want to see what flavors present themselves in each wine. Pardon my thoughts wandering away for a moment.

The nose reveals strawberries and raspberries with a hint of rhubarb. Some exotic florals feel like they are coming out as well. Mushal's rosé smells sweet too, not tart like some other examples I've had of late. One area of concern is a slight prickle of alcohol and when I checked the bottle, I was a bit saddened to find it's 14.4%. In my opinion that is about 2% too high and actually can defeat one of the purposes of a rosé. The French example I recently tasted came in around 12.5%, much more accessible on a hot summer (or spring) day. Alcohol can weigh down the feeling of a wine and I suspect it might do so with the Mushal.

Tasted at a temperature a few degrees below room temperature, as I do with nearly all my wines regardless of color. Sweet tasting right on the front palate, with acidity that came through quickly enough to keep me from cringing. Very good! Still, a touch rough around the edges and I think that comes from the high-ish alcohol. I tasted raspberry, melon, and fresh cut hay in this merlot rosé. There's a silky core of flavor that I find immensely appealing, it feels like each sip glides across your tongue. Unfortunately the pesky alcohol gremlin rears up on the finish, delivering too much heat for a rosé, for me at least.

Mushal's 2009 Merlot Rosé does remain light on the palate and is very refreshing. It won a gold medal at the 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, high praise from some very practiced palates. If you chill this more, perhaps an hour in your refrigerator, the acidity will shine through without the encumbrance of the alcohol. I'd like to see Mushal's next rosé come in at a much lower alcohol level while still retaining this set of scents and flavors. As it stands, the 2009 Mushal Merlot Rosé gets a B and a BUY recommendation.

The sheer variety of foods you could pair with a merlot rosé makes the Mushal a wine you should keep in your collection. Plus, like I said before, I am a strong advocate of supporting the little guys, the boutique producers. Mushal is definitely one of those and out of every $20 bottle of rosé sold, 15% of that goes to The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation. Just like Charity Case and Cleavage Creek, Mushal is giving back. For that, we need to support them. I look forward to bringing you their red Merlot bottling soon.

This was received as a media sample.

Beau Carufel

Bruliam Wines, Three Delicious Pinot Noirs

Thanks to Keith of the (in)famous San Diego Wine Mafia, I met Brian and Kerith Overstreet who are making some delicious Pinot Noir up in Sonoma. Here's the wrinkle: All profits generated by Bruliam Wines are going to charity. ALL. Impressive, I agree.

California is lucky to have people who are this dedicated to helping out those less fortunate. From the giant Napa Valley Wine Auction to the efforts of Budge Brown at Cleavage Creek and the wonderful folks at Charity Case Wines, we live in a state where people who love wine also love to give back. You can add Bruliam Wines to that list.

Back to the first time I met the Overstreets, we were all sitting around sipping Champagne. Talking to Brian and Kerith was a lot of fun, not the least because of my mild bubbly-buzz. More importantly though, I could see the love that they had for wine and for each other. Apparently they liked me enough to invite me to a release party for their 2009 Pinot Noirs and a sneak peak of their 2009 Rocky Ridge Zinfandel. If anyone who reads this blog lives in San Diego, you probably know where Laurel restaurant used to be, and that now it's called Cucina Urbana. I'd never been since Laurel closed down, but jumped at the chance to taste through the Bruliam lineup.

So let's look at the three pinot noir releases I sampled, as well as the barrel sample of their upcoming zinfandel that was also tasted at the release party.

2009 Hayley Vineyard Pinot Noir Anderson Valley - Elegant nose, hints of Burgundian fruit sans the earth undertones. Sour cherries, cranberry dominate, bringing mouthwatering acidity that carries through till the end. Baking spices were both aromatic and complementary to the fruit notes, and helped ease the transition into a cola and rhubarb finish. Notable flavor integration, B+ and a BUY recommendation. 14.2% abv. $52/btl




2009 Doctor's Vineyard Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands - A supremely beautiful nose of mushrooms and leather/tobacco, with hints of black cherry. Strawberry and raspberry flavors kept the wine light but deep which I find to be a hallmark of the best examples of pinot. Finishes with hints of toasted oak, blackberries, which were a welcome and delicious treat, and cocoa. I loved this wine's bright personality and accessible style. Don't let that fool you though because with a few more years in the cellar, the 2009 Doctor's Vineyard could turn into an incredibly elegant, polished pinot noir. A- and a STRONG BUY recommendation. 14.3% abv. $52/btl


2009 Split Rock Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - Big, brawny Pinot! Ripe nose with cocoa, mixed berry preserves, rhubarb and spice. Big on the palate but held together by a savory, umami type flavor, hint of smokiness and perhaps a beef jerky-like richness. It was hard to decide if I liked the nose or taste better, so good! Great aging potential shown by the firm but smooth tannins, would love to taste this after a decade in the cellar. A- and STRONG BUY recommendation. 14.3% abv. $52/btl

     

                                                                     (all images via http://www.bruliamwines.com)

2009 Rocky Ridge Block Zinfandel Rockpile Vineyard (Barrel Sample) - Ripe and luxurious, loads of blackberries, blueberries and plums. Intense herbal compontent complemented by savory peppered notes. Reminded me a bit of teriyaki beef jerky. The finish is equally loaded with jammy blackberry and firm tannin leading me to believe that a few more months in the barrels and some resting time in the bottles will give us an amazing zinfandel, one that I can't wait to try again. % abv N/A. $n/a.

All three Bruliam pinot noir examples were wonderful wines and while I recommend them based on technical merit alone, I can also say that the people behind the wine are wonderful too. I admire their passion and commitment to wine, family, and to helping make the world a better place. Look for their Rocky Ridge zinfandel to be released in three months or so and give that wine a try too. You'll be drinking well, supporting a unique small winery and helping out those less fortunate than we are.

Disclosure: I attended the Cucina Urbana event as a member of the press.

Beau Carufel

Cleavage Creek Merlot Shiraz Blend

  I've written about Cleavage Creek before, about their mission and accomplishments in the fight against breast cancer. Previously, I reviewed their Chardonnay and a red blend , their "Secret Red". This bottle, the 2007 Tracy Hills Merlot Shiraz, unfortunately got lost in the shuffle of wine in and out of my samples stockpile.

About four weeks ago though, I found it and was excited to taste a blend like this. Merlot is much maligned unfortunately, and Syrah/Shiraz appears to be trending downwards in the market. Truly unfortunate because California can and does produce some real gems from both of those varietals. Cleavage Creek created this blend of 67% Syrah and 33% Merlot.

Great purple color in the glass, nice depth in the middle. It's light purple around the edges, gaining color towards the center. Fairly straightforward for this kind of red blend.

Big ripe fruit rushes up at me as I take a whiff. Aromas of blackberry jam and spices, the barest hints of herbs dance around the edges of that concentrated fruit. Straightforward, nothing crazy or too esoteric. I noticed an effect; the Syrah and Merlot were jockeying for position instead of complementing each other.

On the palate, I get a bit of heat and more of those ripe fruit notes. There's also something going on with a baking spice and cedar. Silky tannins mix with some baking chocolate, it all feels too fleeting though. I got a sense that this wine struggled with it's identity, the Syrah clashed with the Merlot, leaving me wishing for a more harmonious integration of flavors.

Out of the three wines Cleavage Creek sent me, this was the one that disappointed me, I suggest that perhaps the blend needs tweaking, maybe adding in another varietal like Petite Verdot would give some structure and ease some of the clashing flavors I struggled with. Alternately, perhaps this is a wine that simple needs a few more years to come together. At this time though, I give it a C+. I love what Budge Brown is doing at Cleavage Creek and have high hopes for their wines. They even opened a brand new tasting room in Napa Valley recently, you should go visit them if you get the chance.


This wine was a sample from the winery for review purposes.

Beau Carufel