Wine, Etc.: Recommendations from the Concannon Winery

We recently met with John Concannon, the fourth generation of Concannons to make wine in the Livermore Valley since 1883. John told us that Concannon is the longest family-owned continually operating winery in California, and recently completed a multi-million dollar environmentally sensitive renovation.

Describing the 200 acres of estate vineyards, John said that the soil layer in the vineyards is 600 feet deep and 75 percent rocks. Hot days in the 90s and a cool air flow in the 50s at night from San Francisco Bay create an ideal climate for growing grapes.

We tasted several wines with John and found two that we especially liked and would recommend.

Concannon Conservancy Chardonnay Livermore Valley 2008 ($15). John described what his mother, who was the cook in the family, used to say about their wines. She was adamant that wine was not meant to overshadow the food, and that "we should be honored to be at the table." These sentiments are applicable to this medium-bodied, food-friendly wine that is very easy to drink. Pear and apple flavors with a hint of lemon and pleasant acidity make this a go-to wine for fish and poultry dishes.

Concannon Conservancy Petite Sirah Livermore Valley 2007 ($15). Concannon was the first California winery to bottle petite sirah as a varietal in 1961. This wine exhibits a generous classic petite sirah nose and flavors of blackberries and blueberries with a nice dusty mocha element. This is a lovely wine that will accompany roasted or barbecued red meat.

New book

Author Michael J. Gelb found that people think better out of the box with a little wine in them. Wine sparks activity in the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex and gets people to act and think less conservatively. Gelb has written about the creative power generated by wine in his new book, "Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking: Uncork Your Creative Juices" (Running Press, $20).

Gelb will be signing his books at 7 p.m. March 20 at the new Crush wine bar on West Street.

The author uses as example the creative talents of historical figures like Thomas Jefferson, Leanardo DaVinci and Dante - all of whom liked their wine. He manages to add poetry and philosophy to keep the wine education entertaining.

There is a lot of useful wine advice here and it is presented in a unique fashion that will keep novices interested.

Recommendations

Foradori Teroldego Rotaliano 2006 ($30). We absolutely loved this discovery at Bin 201, a new wine shop in the Parole Towne Center. It hails from the Trentino region of Italy and employs a relatively unknown grape: teroldego, a variety genetically related to syrah. As such, it has the same earthy, sweet fruit qualities, but here it is more complex than many syrahs. Dark fruit flavors with layers of olives, dark chocolate and herbs.

Castello di Farnetella Lucilla 2007 ($14). We were introduced to this great value found at Wine Cellars of Annapolis at a family gathering. It is a delicious Tuscan blend of sangiovese, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Dark cherry and herbal flavors in a simple yet pleasing body.

Freemark Abbey Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 ($35). We loved the intense, complex flavors of this powerful cabernet sauvignon. It has loads of blueberry, cassis and cola flavors with hints of cedar and chocolate.

Folie a Deux Napa Valley Merlot 2007 ($24). Floral aromas and ripe plum and cranberry flavors dominate this lush merlot. Firm tannins, sweet oak and long finish.

Fortified gems

We're coming up on the end of the fortified wine drinking season, but we stumbled upon two gems and wanted to pass them along. The Gonzales Byass Solera 1847 Oloroso Dulce ($18) is a full-bodied, sweet dessert-style sherry that would be the perfect ending to dinner. This dark brown sherry is a blend of 75 percent palomino and 25 percent pedro ximenez grapes with an average of 9 years of age. This sherry exhibits a wonderfully intense hazelnut and chocolate nose. A sweet delivery in the mouth reveals toasted almond, hazelnut and chocolate flavors and a nice creamy finish, but with enough acidity to keep the wine from cloying. Absolutely delicious!

The Warre's Optima 20 Port ($45 for 500 ml) is a 20-year-old tawny port with a beautiful amber color with hints of red. A nutty, dried fruit nose is followed by flavors of cherry and grilled nuts and a baked coconut finish. Head and shoulders above the Warre's 10-year-old version, this is an awesome tawny port.

Upcoming tastings

Fishpaws Marketplace will host a wine dinner featuring Penfolds' wines at 6:30 p.m. March 23 at Carrol's Creek Cafe.

Mark Lane, wine educator for Penfolds, will speak. The cost is $75 a person. For reservations, call 410-647-7363.

Do you have a question or suggestion for a topic? Write to the authors in care of this newspaper or e-mail tmarquardt@capitalgazette.com.

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