4th of July Bash

7/4/11-Carl and Kathy hosted the 7^th annual 4^th of July Bash at their summer cabin in South Lake Tahoe.  19 fun loving members of the Folsom Wine Group enjoyed numerous outstanding wines, including a 4 bottle vertical of Dunn cabernets (85, 86 and 87 Napa and 86 Howell Mountain).  The Howell Mountain was the clear winner of the four, with the 87 running a close second.  Also enjoyed was a 6 bottle vertical of Ch. St. Jean Cinq Cepages cabernets provided by Helen and Keith Faust.  Accommodations included the Curtis and Faust couples staying at Tamaleena apartment, Dave and Ann Vik in their Scamp, Trish and John Danby at the Carolyn Freese cottage, Jim and Marilyn Williams at Carolyn’s cabin and the Scherr family in a large tent erected behind Tamaleena.  Activities included  boating to Emerald Bay, picnic at water’s edge near Camp Richardson and golf at the Bijou Golf Course.  Tim Curtis entertained the group with a Kentucky leg slapping rendition to “Dueling Banjo’s”.

1978 Ridge Monte Bello Half Bottle

4/6/2011-The Wednesday Knitters met at the home of Gary Rose and Laura Laskowski to enjoy a delicious meal of spinach, ricotta and parmesan stuffed chicken with optional marinara sauce, knitters salad, and brownies. The brown bag wine for the night was clearly a love/hate wine. Half the participants loved it and half hated it. The wine had a leaky cork and very low fill, and as a half bottle, probably aged more than a full bottle; however, it had little browning and exhibited the aged cabernet flavors of coffee/tobacco and red currants, and was guessed to be an older Bordeaux by several members.

Wino Band Practice and Rhone Wine Tasting

3/16/11-Members of the Wino Band and spouses met at the home of Tim and Jane Curtis enjoying a dinner of Chicken Cordon Bleu paired with 5 Rhone wines. The wines were selected to emphasize the different blending of the 13 varietals available to the Rhone winemakers. Robert Parker ratings (RP) are shown on the below chart with the varietal percentages for each wine. Unfortunately the enjoyable Janasse was slightly corked and came in last in the voting. The Beaucastel was the favorite and the most complex of the wines; probably because the wine contained all 13 of the Rhone grapes. The California Rhone L’Adventure was a very close second and as you might expect, a bit fruitier than the French Rhones. The group also enjoyed a 2007 Grapillon d’Or Gigondas (80% Grenache-20% Syrah) provided by the Vik’s and compared favorably with the others.


YR WINE             RP GREN SYRAH CARIGNAN MOURVEDRE
01 Dom. Janasse   95   100
07 Clos del Rey    96    20                    80
07 Ch. Beaucastel 92    30        10        10Cinsault     30 + 9 varietals
06 L’Adventure     96   30         30                              40

1997 Gaja Barolo

3/8/11-The Wednesday Knitters met at the home of Carl and Kathy Hennige for a pizza and salad dinner, paired with two Italian wines; a 1997 Angelo Gaja Barolo Sperss (Parker 99 points), and a 2006 Fontodi Chianti Classico Reserve (95 points Parker and Wine Spectator).

2006 Fontodi Flaccianello

2/25/11-Members of the Folsom Wine Group met for dinner at the home of Tim and Jane Curtis. Spaghetti and Meatballs were paired with two delicious Italian wines. A 2006 Fontodi Flaccianello Tuscany Sangiovese (Wine Spectator 99 points-#8 of the top 100 wines of 2009) and a 2003 Brunello were enjoyed with the meal.

1977 Boeger Hangtown Red

2/9/11-The Wednesday knitters met at the home of Keith and Helen Faust and enjoyed a delicious meal of Coq au Vin, herbed mashed potatoes and green beans, with a pear cake served for dessert. The brown bag wine for the night was an amazing 1977 Boeger Hangtown Red. I believe the 77 was the first Hangtown Red produced and was an enormous hit when released. Many of the employees at General Electric’s ultrasound division in Rancho Cordova purchased it by the cases. The wine was still healthy, fruity and very enjoyable.

Wine Group Dinner

2/4/11-After a fun time sipping wine at Raj’s the group (Carl & Kathy Hennige, Steve & Teri Price & Lolli, Keith & Helen Faust, and Gidget) met at the Tim and Jane Curtis home for a delicious dinner of pasta fagioli, salad, French bread and Tim’s “made from scratch” cookies. Numerous wines were enjoyed with the dinner, including a 2005 Dom. de la Vieille Julienne, Chateauneuf du Pape (Robert Parker, 95+ points) and a 2007 Revana Cabernet (WS 97 Points, #4 top 100 in 2010-Winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett).

3rd Annual Champagne Tasting

1/29/11-The 3rd Annual Champagne tasting was again hosted by Laura Laskowski and Gary Rose.  Finger food was provided by the participants who swirled and sipped 8 French Champagne's.  The results of the blind tasting were as follows:                                                 1st     2nd     3rd
1  Paul Goerg Brut                   3       3         3
2  Montaudon Brut                   3       3         1
3  Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut  2       2         2
4  Deutz Brut Classic               2       0         2
5  Pierre Morlet Grand Res.    1       2         1
6  Brice Brut Tradition            0       1         0
7  Veuve Cliquot Brut              0       0         1
8  Louis Bouillot Brut              0       0         1

The winning Champagne has tiny bubbles, a frothy mouth feel, was very fruity and had a long finish.

Stanford 42-Virginia Tech 12

1/10/11-To celebrate the Stanford Orange Bowl victory, the following wines were consumed. A 1986 Mouton Rolthschild (Robt. Parker 100 points), a 2006 Mouton Rothschild (RP98+), a 2007 Dominus Cabernet (RP98), and a 1995 Piper-Heidsieck (RP95, WS96). The wines were paired with a delicious dinner of a dijon beef and veggie stew, severed over noodles, a fresh broccoli and corn salad and a chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream, compliments of Helen Faust.