Many of us are ‘seasonal’ wine drinkers; in other words, we tend to drink cozy reds in the winter and lighter, more refreshing wines in the warmer months.  Not only do these choices fit our mood but also the food selections we make.

With this in mind, the Wine Review Council met on a classic Southern California July evening to sample a selection of wines perfectly paired to our relaxing poolside setting.

All the samples hailed from California, from producers large and small, both established and new and the evening brought a few surprises.

Both the first and last wines were versions of Viognier from one of the newer wineries in Southern California, Estate d’Iacobelli (pronounced “de Yack-oh-belly).  This small establishment opened the doors of their tasting room this past May, located in the town of Fallbrook, located between San Diego and Temecula.  The owners, Ronei and Lisa Iacobelli, are originally from Michigan, but their love of wine and Italian heritage brought them to the Temecula Valley in 1998 where they bought 20 acres and planted vines and olive trees.  They decided, however, to build their tasting room on a beautiful hillside overlooking the Pala Mesa Golf course.

The 2011 Estate d’Iacobelli Viognier is refreshingly fragrant with crunchy green pear, orange blossom and peach leading to a somewhat creamy palate with nectarine and lime zest on the finish.  Not your typical Viognier, but delicious just the same.  Retail $32.00.

The companion wine, 2010 Estate d’Iacobelli “Sticky Fingers” LH Viognier was a terrific finish to the evening.  Baked pear and nutty cashew mingled with lemon drop! The finish was not syrupy or overly sweet. It would make a perfect ‘little something’ after dinner. Retail $26.00. Both wines are available at the tasting room or through their website.

Moving further north to Mendocino, we sampled three offerings from Moniker Wine Estates.  A creation of three generations of the Thornhill family, the name and logo honor the multiple generations working together to create this premium line of wines.

First up was the 2012 Moniker Chardonnay.  The majority of the fruit was sourced from the Ribera vineyard located  on the banks of the Russian River.  The wine was barrel fermented for four months in American oak and, prior to bottling, blended with a bit of Viognier and more Chardonnay that was aged in French Oak.

The result is a subdued and somewhat elegant Chardonnay, with soft apple, spicy cinnamon and notes of baked pear.  The sur lie aging lends a soft mouth feel and good acidity keeps the finish fresh.  Retail $23.00

Pinot Noir is always a great choice for summertime cuisine and the first one we sampled was also from Moniker. 

The 2012 Monkier Pinot Noir is a blend of grapes harvested from three Mendocino vineyards located in Anderson, Redwood and Potter Valleys, aged in American oak for seven months.

The wine is all red fruits – rhubarb, cherry and red plum, highlighted with notes of fresh tobacco and tealeaf.  Retail $30.00

Our last selection from this producer was the 2011 Moniker Cabernet Sauvignon.  Although I wouldn’t normally consider this variety as a ‘summer sipper’, one can never say no to a California Cab!

This bottling received Double Gold at the 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Awards.  Aged for fourteen months in three year old French oak barrels, the wine lets the fruit do the talking.  Black cherry, spicy plum and vanilla notes on the nose and palate linger on to the finish.  This wine would definitely benefit from some more time in the bottle to fully show itself.  Retail $30.00

From newer wineries on to a familiar name in the pages of California wine history: Wente Vineyards.

Founded in 1883, Wente is the oldest continuously family owned winery in the United Sates.  They began with 47 acres, planted by founder C.H. Wente and have now grown to 3000 acres, still in the Livermore Valley AVA.  

The Wente family have always contributed to the growth of the wine industry: first to put the grape variety name on the label, founders of the California Wine Institute and of course, the development of the now prolific Wente Clone of Chardonnay. 

They were honored as the American Winery of the Year in 2011 by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and in 2010 became a Certified Sustainable Vineyard, part of their “Family for the Future” campaign.

To be honest, I had not tasted any of their wines for a very long time.  Call me a snob, but I just hadn’t.  I was in for a pleasant revelation.

We first sampled the 2012 Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay.  This is part of the “Heritage Block” Series utilizing grapes from vineyards named after some of the pioneers of Wente winemaking.  They are located in the Arroyo Seco region –considered one of the prime Chardonnay areas since the 1960s.

The grapes were fermented in a combination of French, American and Eastern European barrels and stainless steel.

The result is a tasty, New World Chardonnay.  Vanilla beans, soft toast, baked apples with nutmeg and hints of tropical pineapple.  Retail $22.00

The second sample from this historic producer was the 2012 Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay.  Named after the cooling mist that flows from San Francisco Bay over the vineyards of the Livermore Valley, the wine is aged half in stainless steel and half in new French, American and European oak barrels.  All the wine is aged sur lie for seven months.

Elegant and enticing soft apple, lemon curd and spicy ginger show on the nose and palate with soft toasty, brioche, peach and applesauce lingering on the finish. Part of the ‘Vineyard Selection’ Series. Retail: $12.00

Our third and last taste of Wente was red - the 2012 Wente Reliz Creek Pinot Noir. The fruit once again is sourced from the vineyards of Arroyo Seco in Monterey.  The soil here is gravelly loam with shale and limestone, lending structure and minerality to the wine.  The wine spends twenty months in a blend of French and European neutral oak.

The lovely cherry red hue matches the perfumy nose filled with cherry, black raspberry, and toast.  The palate is deeper with notes of raspberry preserve, dark strawberry and earthy note of kirsch.  The finish is clean with touches of white pepper.  All in all, a feminine, Old World influenced Pinot.  “Heritage Block Series” Retail: $28.00

At the end of each Wine Review Council tasting, we all rank the wines according to our personal preferences.  For once, the votes were all swayed in one direction: the Wente Way!

First place went to the Wente Reliz Creek  Pinot Noir, with the Morning Fog and Riva Ranch Chardonnay’s sliding into second and third.  Varietal character, value for money and food compatibility lead to most of our conclusions,

So, until next time, happy sipping, whatever the season.

How many wines can you taste, describe and put into the social media stratosphere in, say fifty minutes?  

If you had been attending the 7th Annual Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Barbara County, CA a few weeks ago, you would have to say ten, because that's exactly what we did!

The theory is this:  bring together over 300 wine bloggers from around the world and seat them at large round banquet tables in the ballroom of the Santa Ynez Marriott. 

Every 5 minutes, have a winemaker or winery representative come to the table to pour wine samples and talk about the wines and the winery.  The bloggers taste and assess, then Tweet, blog or Facebook their comments about the wine (plus any other interesting tidbits they can squeeze in) and the process is repeated.

The action reached a fever pitch after about the second wine as everyone asked questions, swirled, and sipped while tapping away on smartphones, tablets and laptops.

Day one was for Whites and Rosés.  Sadly my table didn't see any pink wines but we reviewed an interesting array of whites.

Here, with typos corrected, is a recap:

1) Bianchi Pinot Grigio 2012. 

Smooth but palate fresh. Dried grasses mingle with citrus ripe melon and somewhat cozy finish coming in at 13.7pc alc. Go Paso.

3) Bandit 2012 Pinot Grigio

Tetra Pack time. CA grapes-Napa Sonoma and Central Coast.

 Enviro friendly is great and at 8 bucks retail cud work for picnic. Light refreshing and crisp.

4)  Laetitia Brut Cuvee NV   

Sparkle time. Chard Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc from Arroyo Grande. Cool green apple and soft peachy fizzle. Sustainable vineyards and great cool climate make good sparkling. Fun and frothy.

5)  2012 Consilience Viognier

All local Santa Barbara AVA fruit vinified to make food friendly vino. Neutral French oak - 14 months gives soft vanilla spice, cinnamon toast to go with ripe plump apricot. Voluptuous as Viognier shud be but nice acidity keeps to that food friendly vibe and goal.

6)  Rios de Chile 2013 Sauvignon Blanc

Minimal intervention to keep varietal character. AM fog and proximity to the sea show in crisp clean granny smith apple and citrus peel notes. Grantic and sandy clay soils. Great food-seafod-salad wine. 
Try it- I will.

7)  Jordan 2012 Russian River Chardonnay 

40pc new French oak for 4 months keeps this approachable and food compatible. Really racy acidity enhances nuanced fruit. Super summer fare companion and might make your ABC friends change their minds.

8)  Buttonwood Zingy Sauvignon Blanc 2013.

All estate fruit - all stainless and cool ferment. Hence the name Zingy perhaps? Laid back aromas of green melon and crisp apples. Bring on the fried chicken and potato salad!

9)  Aridus Malvasia Bianca 2013

Arizona's challenging climate and high elevations are no threat to Aridus Winery of Cochise County. Grapes from New Mexico. Neutral oak for few months but still highly aromatic. If you love Moscato you will flip for Malvasia - fruit salad in a glass with clean finish.

10)  2013 Danza del Sol Vermentino Temecula Valley.

I have to like this or they will kick me out of my house right? Lime and tangerine on big nose. All stainless shows peachy palate. Come to Temecula and grab a glass on the patio.

So, there you have it.  Ten wine reviews in 50 minutes.  It was noisy, challenging and a lot of fun.  So much fun that we repeated the exercise the next day with reds!  Stay tuned for part 2, coming soon.

NOTE: All wines tasted at this event were provided by the sponsoring wineries.  Please see my page ' Submissions, Reviews, Invitations & Disclaimers'.

The recipe seems simple: take 2 award winning chefs and one acclaimed restaurateur. Blend with high quality sustainable ingredients, sprinkle liberally with lots of creativity and serve with class. 

The result: Pizzeria Mozza!

A Southern California favorite since they opened the original Los Angeles restaurant in 2006, it seemed only fitting than when owners Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich were seeking a location for their new San Diego incarnation, they selected a slice of local social history – the “Headquarters” at Pacific Coast Highway and Harbor Blvd.

From 1939 to 1987 this was the original home the San Diego Police Department. And a stylish complex it was, with a typically SoCal mix of architectural styles, ranging from Spanish Colonial and Pueblo to Classical.  The buildings have been beautifully restored, befitting it’s stature on the National Register of Historic Places, with fountains and shaded courtyards mingled with commercial spaces. 

Pizzeria Mozza, with its respect for history and tradition - enhanced by a modern twist- is a perfect fit for the location.

There are four Pizzeria Mozza locations: Los Angeles, Newport Beach, the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and now San Diego.  Each restaurant shares the same philosophy summed up in this quote from Nancy Silverton : “ Simple, all natural ingredients lead to artful nutrition”.

 This location is green certified and procures its products from green oriented suppliers.  Even the sparkling water is produced ‘in house’.   

There’s a spacious outdoor patio (great for people watching on Sunday’s during the Certified Farmer’s Market!) and an inviting interior dining area.

Several months ago I was invited to a Press Lunch for the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers  Association.  We had a chance to not only sample some of the classic dishes from Pizzeria Mozza but also to meet many of the people who make it all happen    

The menu also features a host of local San Diego draft and bottled beers and a creative wine list focusing on, not surprisingly, Italian vino.  Many are from organic, smaller wineries that you won’t see on your average wine list.  All have been chosen with the menu in mind and we can thank Sommelier LaMont Schroeder for that!   

Each incarnation of Pizzeria Mozza shows a bit of it’s own personality, especially San Diego. With ever changing menu items to suit the season and the chef’s creative streak you could come back time and again and always find something new.

There are, however, some classic staples and we were thrilled to sample them all.

We began with a selection of Bruschetta -White Beans alla Toscana with Saba and Chicken livers, capers, parsley and pancetta.  The bread was perfect – toasty but not so crisp as to shatter into a hundred pieces when you bit into it!  The texture of the white beans was amazing and the savory liver was brightened by a hint of lemon and fresh parsley.

Chef John Stenbakken explained that the Bruschetta are a menu tradition, but the toppings are rotated on a regular basis.  Everything is made in house – an important element in maintaining consistent quality. 

John has been with the company for may years and plans on adding more pasta dishes and grilled items to the menu.

Our next course was a huge plate of gorgeous Pane Bianco, dripping with high end olive oil and garlic – the perfect compliment to probably the most beautifully presented Mozza Caprese I have ever seen! 

The small ‘on-the-vine’ tomatoes were roasted for about 2 – 21/2 hours to concentrate their sweet flavors and worked really well with the ultra creamy Burrata  and fresh pesto.

To cleanse our palates, a colorful Insalata Rosso was served.  Crisp radicchio dressed with a simple lemon vinaigrette, delightfully ‘chewy’ Wisconsin applewood bacon, freshly shredded Peccarino Romano and softly cooked egg.  I could have made a meal of this with some of that wonderful Pane Bianco!

But we couldn’t stop without trying some pizza!  The ‘signature’ pizza, unique to San Diego, is the Kale Pizza.  Beautifully balanced toppings of fresh  baby kale, savory red onion, ricotta cheese, mozzarella and spicy coppa adorned the light, crispy, crust. Delicious.

We were introduced to pastry chef Juli Sinning, keeper of the secret dough recipe!  Julie started with Pizzeria Mozza four years ago in their Singapore location and was brought out to San Diego to open the new restaurant.

Although she could not be bribed to divulge all the secrets of this fantastic pizza crust, she did explain that they make all the dough by hand, twice a day – once in the morning and again in the afternoon.  The dough will sit overnight which aids in developing the texture and flavors.

Wood fired ovens at incredibly high temperatures bake the pizzas in a matter of moments and give them that distinctive deep color.

Julie is also in charge of the terrific dessert selection.  She makes all the Gelato from scratch using a special machine imported from Italy and they even squeeze their own fresh fruit juices to go into the house prepared sorbets.

We were lucky enough to sample some of these cool, creamy confections: a hazelnut gelato and the pineapple/coconut sorbet.  Refreshing, vibrant and true flavors shone through.

These contrasted with the other signature dessert – the Butterscotch Budino – a decadently creamy pudding topped with burnt sugar, softly whipped cream, and Maldon sea salt.  Sinful.  The accompanying pine nut and rosemary biscuit was a savory addition to the sweet and salt of the pudding. Wow.

Whether you visit Pizzeria Mozza for a quick ‘slice’ and a beer or spend several hours sipping your wine and savoring multiple courses, you are sure to leave this terrific location knowing you celebrated “La Dolce Vita”.

Pizzeria Mozza is located in the “Headquarters at Seaport District”, 789 West Harbor Blvd, San Diego 92101 (609) 376-4353 
http://www.pizzeriamozza.com/SanDiego/home.cfm
http://theheadquarters.com/shop-dine

Parking: There are two lots at Seaport Village, across the street, Valet Parking at the Headquarters and metered parking on surrounding streets.