Tagged: Blue Fox Cellars

Monumental Third Year, Decanting Monterey!

Today marks the third anniversary of Decanting Monterey, A Central Coast Wine Blog! And what a year it has been! With 291 wines presented and reaching over 10,000 views, we have a lot to celebrate. Please read to the end for today’s small ask.

OUR HISTORY

Deep in the unvaccinated period of the pandemic in July 2020, Decanting Monterey was founded on wines from our own collection sampled at home, with or without our neighboring friends and our daughters, who quickly became known as the COVID Wine Pod. It was 2 posts per week and, mostly, one wine at a time. Back then, some wineries had just reopened with their COVID procedures and we still weren’t venturing out much. I also established the @decantingmonterey Facebook page.

During Year 2, as we became fully vaccinated and boosted – and double boosted, we were able to get out to more local wineries at a more deliberate pace. And the COVID Wine Pod was renamed the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod! I also moved to a single post per week and presented a single wine class to my old DC wine group. Most of the posts were based on event-driven or winery tastings and fewer individual, cellar-driven posts.  And I started the @decanting_monterey Instagram feed.

During Year 3, I began to get recognition as an entity with some stature behind it:

OUR STATS

I have some high-level stats to share with you about Year Three of Decanting Monterey!

  • www.decantingmonterey.com hit the 10,000 “views” mark! This statistic is very important to me.  If you are seeing my blog on social media or via email, please be sure to click the link and open it!
  • 291 wines were presented on Decanting Monterey for the first time.
  • 207 red wines were presented, as well as 62 whites, 20 rosés, and a couple of oranges – including 6 sparkling and 2 fortified wines.

  • Over 39 distinct varietals were presented with Pinot Noir topping the list thanks to the SLH festival I attended, followed closeky by Red Blends, and Syrah – no surprise if you know me!
  • 8 Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society events and 2 private tastings conducted at home were presented.
  • Wines from 12 California counties are represented, with 181 from Monterey, 30 from Santa Barbara, 20 from San Benito, 15 from Santa Cruz, 11 from San Luis Obispo, 9 from San Benito – and more! Plus 12 wines from Italy!

  • Wines from 6 of the 9 Monterey American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) were covered, capturing 39 varietals!

  • I Brand was the most represented family of wines, followed by Parsonage. I attribute that to the steady and wonderful release events offered by I Brand & Family wines. Parsonage was one of the first local wineries to put Monterey wines squarely on our consumption radar way back when. Their wines match my palate perfectly – what else can I say?

While I have some posts already queued up for Year 3, let me ask my mighty readers:  Where should I visit next?  Please leave me a comment on this post and let me know what some of your favorite, local places are to wine taste that I should not miss in Year 3! I have a list of not-yet-covered wine tasting rooms and other wine venues to check out – happy to add to it.  I don’t know what I don’t know. 

SUBSCRIBE

And, if you have not signed up for my free, weekly blog email, I encourage you to do so – the subscription button is on the right-hand side of each page of the Decanting Monterey website. I judge how well I am doing by how many views, subscribers, and comments I receive.  Please help me spread the word and please feel free to comment on my posts! And follow my Facebook (@decantingmonterey) and Instagram (@decanting_monterey) sites.

OUR SUPPORTERS

I am grateful to Chesebro, Bernardus, Bunter Spring, Idle Hour, Pierce Ranch and Rombi for their generosity this year in donated wines or discounts. Grateful to Kim Stemler and the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association for their support – what a great resource! And to Erin O’Reilly of tèr·ra·ve·nos for her partnership and advice as we navigate this world of wine.  I remain grateful to those vintners who have comped me wine tastings, given me discounts, and especially those who have comped me bottles of wine! And, of course, the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod!

DONATE

Now, to my ask:

As my avid readers know, Decanting Monterey is a self-funded labor of love to help educate others about our local vintners and their wines.  The only “compensation” I receive is free tastings (most places), discounted purchases, an occasional comped bottle, and, most importantly, the appreciation of our vintners. While I do this, I protect your data from being sold or used by anyone other than for my own website statistics.  Here is my Privacy Policy.

As I come up on my 3-year renewal of my website, I am asking my readers to consider making a small donation to keep this effort going. I donate my time, energy, knowledge, and to date personally have funded this website and my wine education travel expenses. 

Here is what it takes to make Decanting Monterey run:

  • $13/month for website expenses
  • $20/year for domain registration
  • $40/year for CellarTracker
  • $42/month for Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association membership (an aspiration!)
  • $50/year for codeguard
  • $1200-2400/year in travel expenses (airfare, car rental only)

While this blog is open and free, donations to this not-for-profit effort are always welcome in any amount!  You can donate here: Donate to Decanting Monterey. All donations go toward the operation of this website and to offset travel expenses for out of area wine classes.  Even the smallest amount would be greatly appreciated.

So, here we go – Year 4!  This should be an even better one! Thanks for your support to me on this crazy journey.

Central Coast Sharon

Blue Fox Cellars: Blue Bottles, Great Wines

My friend and I were attending an event in Carmel Valley and decided to go early to check out a winery.  We parked near our event and saw the Blue Fox tasting room.  I had been wanting to go there for quite some time, so we dropped in.

Dallas Wright greeted us in the spacious and attractive tasting room.  He was very friendly and walked my friend and me through the wines.  Perfect. 

Dallas Wright, Blue Fox Tasting Room Manager

The tasting room is quite large, a great event venue. We posed doing an event there for the Monterey Chapter of the American Wine Society and have subsequently booked a group tasting there!

About Blue Fox Cellars from their label: “As a small producer based in Medocino County, California, we are dedicated to producing high quality wines tailored to the discerning consumer. Working closely with experienced growers to source only the highest quality of hand selected lots allows us to offer wines of refined distinction. We combine time-tested Old World styles of winemaking with modern technology which are rewarded in an impeccably balanced wine with varietally correct profiles resulting in elegance to be appreciated at any occasion.”

While their website contains little information about the winery or its owners, I found this wonderful article by Laura Ness, a “longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge” in Edible Monterey Bay: https://www.ediblemontereybay.com/blog/blue-fox-cellars-opens-in-carmel-valley-village/. Here is some information from that article:

“…Winemaker/owner, Edward Lovaas, whose heritage is Norwegian, named the brand, which he started in 2012 after many years of winemaking consulting, figured he couldn’t put red wine in a green bottle. Especially since the label sports a perky blue watercolor rendition of a slightly bemused blue fox. So, blue bottles you will find at the newly opened tasting room in Carmel Valley Village, in the former location of Talbott…” All their wines are aged in French oak.

Today I am presenting 6 Blue Fox Cellars wines from Mendocino. As usual, winery notes come from the tasting sheet, the winery website, or discussions with tasting room staff. Any errors are mine and mine alone.

2017 Blue Fox Cellars Chenin Blanc, Mendocino County, 13.5% ABV, $25 (#931)

Winery Notes: “Crisp mineral acidity frame notes of lemon verbena, nectarine, and Asian pear.”  No malolactic fermentation, neutral oak, champagne, yeast, two years on lees.

My Review: Straw in the glass, peach and white citrus blossom, honeysuckle, and lychee on the nose. The palate is full bodied with peach, citrus and yeasty notes. February 2023

2021 Blue Fox Cellars Vermentino, Mendocino County, 13.3% ABV, $29 (#932)

Winery Notes: “Flavors of Shin Li pear, white peach, and crushed stone with a rich mouthfeel.” This wine underwent a quick fermentation.

My review: Pale in the glass. Sweet grapefruit on the nose. A tart citrus palate with a lime finish. A bit acidic and not quite balanced. February 2023.

2019 Blue Fox Cellars Rosé of Grenache, Mendocino County, 13.5% ABV, $25 (#933)

Winery Notes: “Robust with exceptional mouthfeel. Peach and strawberry prevail.” A traditional, dry Provençal rosé with earth, oak, and complex flavors.

My Review: Pale salmon in the glass. Sweet nose with strawberry and cantaloupe notes. Balanced, flavorful palate of watermelon, strawberry, and a little licorice with a lime twist on the finish. February 2023.

2012 Blue Fox Cellars Grenache, Mendocino County, 13.3% ABV, $45 (#934)

Winery Notes: “Fruit forward notes of wild strawberry and blueberry with a finish of white pepper.” 3 years in the barrel 30% neutral oak 20%, new 80% old so figure it out what that means.

My Review: Delicious palate of red fruits. Sweetness of strawberry and raspberry on the tongue, balanced by the oak. Yummy. February 2023.

2014 Blue Fox Cellars Syrah, Mendocino County, 15.2% ABV, $47 (#935)

Winery Notes: “Flavors of plum, ripe raspberry, earth, spice and an elegant tannin structure.” 7 years in barrels sur lees.

My Review: Dark ruby in color. A spicy nose, predominantly, nutmeg, mouth, filling, rich, dark fruits. A big, well-aged wine, with dark cooked fruit, bordering on a port. I took one of these home. February 2023.

2014 Blue Fox Zinfandel, Mendocino County, 15.9% ABV, $49 (#936)

Winery Notes: “Fruity deep red berries finishing with spicy pepper and a soft tannin structure.” 30° temperature swing.  7 years in the barrel.

My Review: Translucent dark ruby. Sweet spice, black pepper, and dark fruit with vanilla – a smooth palate. A touch of rosemary on the finish. February 2023.            

The Blue Fox Tasting Room is located at 25 Pilot Road, Carmel Valley: “Experience the hospitality of Blue Fox Cellars in beautiful Carmel Valley.  Enjoy sweeping views of the mountains above from our outdoor tasting patio during a fun and educational tasting experience.  Your tasting will be conducted by our knowledgeable tasting associates or our winemaker.  Or sit and have lunch and a bottle of wine in our expansive courtyard, enjoy a game of Bocce Ball, or just time with friends and family.  We look forward to seeing you!” Open Sunday-Thursday 12pm-5pm; Friday-Saturday 12pm-6pm. You can also buy their wines on their website!

© Decanting Monterey 2023

Make a Donation!

SIGN UP HERE TO GET Decanting Monterey DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL!!

Don\'t miss a single exciting post about our Central Coast/Monterey wines! Enter your email address below for a free subscription to Decanting Monterey. Be sure to open the confirmation email and validate your subscription! See you soon!!

Verified by MonsterInsights