Wild Goose Restaurant, part of the Tahoe Mountain Club exclusive properties at Lake Tahoe, is fortunate to have Pat Hedderman as its wine buyer. Pat has a palate honed by long experience. In 2003, Hedderman joined Wild Goose as one of its original staff members, bringing over three decades of fine dining and wine experience to his position. His desire is for Wild Goose to be THE wine destination among all Lake Tahoe restaurants, maintaining a reputation for having the most varied, value-oriented, and fun wine list. Hedderman believes in giving guests a great wine at a fair price. And he does that!
This summer, diners at Wild Goose (and those of us who like to taste wines at their wonderful bar) will be able to enjoy a variety of Zinfandel from several Sierra Foothill wineries:
Cedarville,
Di Airie, and
Perry Creek.
Pat selected Cedarville's 2006 Zinfandel "which received a 91 point rating from Wine Spectator," notes Jonathan Lachs, owner/winemaker. This Zinfandel is a blend of 88% Zinfandel, 6% Petite Sirah, 3% Syrah, 3% Grenache, and only 754 cases were produced using grapes from Cedarville's Estate Vineyard, on a south facing slope near top of vineyard at over 2,500 feet elevation. "The harvest from our 2006 Zinfandel vines was quite small, yielding grapes with deep, concentrated flavor. Unlike the 2005 vintage, there was no need to perform a strict selection of our Zinfandel lots to assemble this wine. All the separate vineyard blocks were delicious! We enhanced the complexity of the wine by blending in a touch of Petite Sirah and Syrah, and for the first time, a little bit of Grenache. Aromas of dark fruits, blackberries, wood smoke, and root spices lead into flavors of chocolate, ripe raspberry, subtle mineral notes, and mint, with remarkable structure, and a very long, lingering finish. Serious stuff," notes the winemaker.
From DiAirie winery, Pat chose the 2006 Zinfandel, Southern Exposure. Chaim di Airie, in his winemaker's notes for this wine, states: "The “Southern Exposure” designation for our wines denotes that we feel the wine has very special qualities.
We feel the 2006 Zinfandel sourced from the very best
Shenandoah Valley vineyards, including the Grandpere and Gunther, is worthy of this designation.
The Gunther vineyard is approximately 41 years old while the original Grandpere vineyard contains vines over 139 years old.
Their roots quietly dug deep down into granitic soils once again, as they have for over a century, to produce exceptionally complex fruit." The wine is 79.5% Zinfandel, 11% Petite Syrah, and small percentages of Cabernet Franc, Primitivo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah -- all from the
Shenandoah Valley. Harsh tannins have been minimized, to result in a wine that is "deep violet in color, with an elegant nose that begins with blackberry, plum, and dark cherries. Under this dark fruit are opulent layers of vanilla, cedar, anise, spice, and dried flowers. Layers of cracked black pepper, cloves, and briar accompany the rounded tannins. The wine finishes with velvety smoothness and sweet cherries."
From Perry Creek Winery, the Wild Goose features the Zinman Zinfandel. Perry Creek's Stefan Tscheppe notes that this wine is 98% Zinfandel with a bit of Petite Sirah and Mourvedre. It's a vineyard blend from some of Perry Creek's best vineyards, and they proclaim it "the signature Zinfandel of the Foothills". Wine Enthusiast magazine deemed this wine worthy of an 88 point rating. The tasting sheet description: boysenberry, cherries, strawberry, black pepper and a wonderfully rich spicy and fruity finish.
Wild Goose is located at 7320 North Lake Blvd, Tahoe Vista, CA 96148. I'd give it Five Stars! Call (530) 546-3640 for reservations.
To read more about this restaurant,
click here to read a wine review column from The Tahoe Weekly.
Forthcoming book: Mountain High Wines: The Sierra and its Foothills
(photos courtesy Bodega del Sur)