FLAGSHIP WINE: Lone Buffalo's "Where the Buffalo Roam"

IN HIS OWN WORDS:

"Where the Buffalo Roam” is our signature wine because the Rhone varietals from which it is blended thrive in our Mediterranean climate and our well drained, decomposed granite soil  We are all about making wines that showcase grapes that excel in Placer County."

Phil Maddux, Owner and Winemaker

LONE BUFFALO VINEYARDS

Auburn, California   (Placer County)

WINEMAKER NOTES:

This is a Rhone-style blend that was produced from Syrah, Mourvedre and Grenache grown in Placer County.  We harvested the grapes at optimum ripeness  and vinified as simply as possible. We cold-soak for 24 -48 hours before fermentation to ensure maximum extraction of fruit flavors, and allow for long skin contact during fermentation.  We barrel aged the wine for a minimum of one year, using both French and American Oak.  The wine is minimally racked(2-3 times) not filtered. The result is a wine that is concentrated but shows lively fruit, silky tannins, depth with a hint of spice, elegant and easy to drink.     WHY A BLEND?    Blending different varieties offers the ability to create a wine with more balance, the flexibility to compensate for differences in individual varietals and fruit sources from vintage to vintage, and to create a wine that is better than its individual parts.  It was a wonderful experience to select and blend the grapes and wines which make up this blend.    This is a very smooth red wine not high in tannins; it goes well with most meats from pizza and burgers to Filet Mignon.   Extremely food friendly!

Alcohol 14/6%           350 cases produced

Suggested retail: $22/bottle

Buy it at:  http://www.lonebuffalovineyards.com/wines.html

Lone Buffalo Vineyard wines are also available at the winery and fine wine shops and restaurants in Sacramento, Roseville, Rocklin, Granite Bay, Loomis, Newcastle, Auburn, Truckee, Squaw Valley, Tahoe City and Northstar.  Click here for a list.

Where The Buffalo Roam:  Awards, Reviews

"...rich and concentrated, yet agile. Where the Buffalo Roam is all that, plus it's bright and juicy, with just a touch of peppery spice. Its build is sinewy, its texture supple, its tannins softer than buffalo hide. Mostly syrah, with backing from mourvedre, grenache and cinsault, the wine reinforces my belief that when varietals traditionally cultivated in France's Rhone Valley are blended they generally yield more expressive results than if they are released as individual varietals, whether in France or California." 
    -Mike Dunne's Wine of the Week/Sacramento Bee/ October 20, 2010
AWARDS -2009 Vintage

• Silver Medal - 2011 West Coast Wine Competition

AWARDS - 2008 Vintage

• Best of Class - Sierra Foothills Appellation, 2010 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition
• GOLD Medal, Best of Class- 2010 West Coast Wine Competition
• Silver Medal - 2010 Grand Harvest Awards, Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine

AWARDS - 2007 Vintage

•  Gold - 2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 

FLAGSHIP WINE: Terre Rouge's Ascent Syrah

IN HIS OWN WORDS:
"Ascent Syrah is our flagship wine because is offers great complexity and long term aging capacity. It represents the apex of of wine production from the Sierra Foothills region. First bottled in the 1999 vintage, it has consistently received stellar reviews from all major wine publications. It has fared well in world Syrah competitions, and was chosen as the top North American Red Wine in 2005 by Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine."
       Bill Easton, Winemaker & Winegrower
       DOMAINE DE LA TERRE ROUGE, Ltd.
       TERRE ROUGE and EASTON Wines
       Fiddletown, California  (Amador County)

WINEMAKER NOTES:

Ascent Syrah represents the pinnacle of Syrah production at TERRE ROUGE. Twelve of our very best barrels of Syrah are selected from our cellar each vintage to make a meager 600/6 packs of this luxury cuvée. All of the grapes are grown in selected Syrah sites scattered throughout the Sierra Nevada in granite and volcanic-based soils. This is a deeply concentrated wine with dense layers of aromatic complexity. Loads of deeply concentrated and incredibly spicy fruit aromas fill your glass. In the mouth you’ll find thick concentrated and riotous meaty Syrah flavors, smoky wood tones, exotic spices, mineral tones, and fine tannins. Great structure and aging potential. The grapes macerated for two weeks in an open-top fermenter with punch-downs two to three times a day. The wine was aged for 23 months in French oak barrels (100% new François Frères - from four different forests) and lightly egg-white fined prior to being bottled unfiltered. A sublime treat!

2006 was a special year. It was a cool early season, with a heat spike in late July, and a cooler August. Harvest was about normal time for our Syrah vineyards and the finished wines have a plush, elegant, and silky texture. It will still benefit from several years in the bottle.

14.5 % alcohol by vol.; 3.85 pH; 6.3 gm./liter total acidity - 600/6 packs bottled

Release date: November 2010

Suggested Retail: $85 a bottle

Buy it at http://terrerougewines.com/store.html
Three Vintages Available:   2004: $95.   2005: $85   2006: $85

Ascent Syrah Reviews 

“You could look on both sides of the Atlantic and in Australia as well and not find a deeper, richer,more complete Syrah for the money. Sure, you could pay $300 for the top wines from those places,but, if $80 is more in line with your interests, this dramatic, age worthy wine should go to the top of your list.”

   -Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wines - Charles E. Olken

2007 ascent syrah sierra foothills:

·         “92 points” - the Wine Spectator, January 31 - February 28, 2010   Firm and spicy, with a mix of white pepper, sage, mineral, and beefy berry fruit that’s taut, full-bodied, savory and layered, ending with a long, complex finish. Drink now through 2016. - James Laube

·         "92+ points" - Parker's Wine Advocate, August 2010

·         "95 points" - the Wine Enthusiast, May 2010

·         “93 points” - the Rhône Report, November 2010

2006 ascent syrah sierra foothills:

·         “92 points” - the Wine Spectator, February 28, 2009

·      "92 points" - First Place - the California Grapevine, Sept./Oct. 2009, "Very Highly Recommended"

·         "94 points" - CELLAR SELECTION - Top- Rated - the Wine Enthusiast, July 2009

·         Top 100 Cellar Selections for 2009 - Number 57 - the Wine Enthusiast, December 2009

·         “89 points” - One Star in Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, July 2009

·         “88 points”- Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2009

2005 ascent syrah sierra foothills:

·         “92 points” - the Wine Spectator, March 31, 2008

·         “90 points”- Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, June/July 2008

·         "92 points" - First Place - the California Grapevine, June/July 2008, "Very Highly Recommended"

·         “91 points” - Two Stars in Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, July 2008

·         "90 points" - Parker's Wine Advocate, June 30, 2008

·         "93 points" - the Wine Enthusiast, May 2008

2004 ascent syrah sierra foothills:

·         “91 points” - the Wine Spectator, January 31, 2008-February 29, 2008

·         “89 points”- Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2007

·         "91 points" - First Place - the California Grapevine, June/July 2007, "Very Highly Recommended"

·         “92 points” - Two Stars in Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, July 2007

·         "90 points" - Parker's Wine Advocate, August 28, 2007

·         "92 points" - the Wine Enthusiast, June 2007

What exactly makes a FLAGSHIP WINE?

When I asked various Sierra Foothill winemakers and winery owners to tell me what they consider to be their FLAGSHIP WINES, that caused a bit of confusion.  To a winemaker, every wine is his greatest wine, it seems.  To a winery owner, the wine that sells the best is the flagship wine.  To a consumer... who knows.. it is so much a matter of personal taste after all.  But here's the short list of what characteristics constitute a flagship wine: the factors that  this group of winemakers and winery owners considers when it puts that information in my hands for publication.

• A wine that the winemaker feels is representative of his style
• A wine that is expressive of the terroir
• A wine that is true to its varietal characteristics
• A wine that is consumer-friendly, ie approachable in price and amenable to food pairings
• A wine that's won accolade after accolade
• A wine that the wife serves to the family's cherished friends and important guests

The FLAGSHIP wines that you'll be reading about will be varied.  In fact, they'll be all over the terroir, style, varietal, price, and taste map.  But these Sierra Foothill wines are great wines, and the winemakers are proud of them.  I encourage you to use these blogposts for your center-of-table and your gifting lists!  Just search at the top left of the blog for "FLAGSHIP WINES of the Sierra and its Foothills" to get the list.

Enjoy!