Eckert Estate Winery

I visited Eckert Estate Winery last Monday. Mike Eckert initially came to the Livermore Valley to raise horses. After attending a wine event and tasting some of the local wines from Livermore he decided to start making his own wine. After several years of home wine making he decided it was
time to go commercial. In addition cases of wine where everywhere in his house and started to become some of the furniture. He opened up Eckert Estate Winery in 2001.

I tasted the 2007 Viognier grapes for this wine came from Lodi. Lodi is quite friendly to Rhone varietals. Spicy and fruity. Try this wine with Mushu Chicken topped with plum sauce.

The 2001 Livermore Cabernet is a full bodied wine. Full of fruit very berry. Mike put 10% Merlot and 5% Malbec in to the blend. Aged in French and American Oak for 22 months. Drinkable now but it can also be put away for a couple years. I took a couple of bottles of this home.

Next was the 2000 Lodi Petite Sirah. If you looking for a "BIG" red, this is it. I get blackberry flavor. Despite it is a 2000 vintage it could still be put away in the cellar. Yet has aged enough to drink now. Couldn't pass this one up. I took a couple of bottles home of this one too.

On the property is Arroyo Windmill Grove, an olive oil mill. It is open on Saturdays for olive oil tasting.

Nice video slide show of the Livermore Valley Wine Region

Credits go to Erik Wait for making the video. Music is by Fernando Ortega.

To aerate or not to aerate? That is the question.

I have had discussions with people over the years whether to aerate or not to aerate wine or just decant it and let it sit. In my opinion go a head and aerate it. Some times you don't have the time to let it sit. Aerating allows oxygen to penetrate the wine and open up aromas and taste.

For myself I've been known to take a tight wine and pour it into a glass pitcher and swirl it, shake it and slosh it around in order to open it up. If I had been given a choice I would have used an aerator. Much faster and much more convenient.

Recently a wine contact, Stark Silver Creek ask me what kind of aerator I would use. After working in the wine industry for many years, I have used three different kinds of aerators. While the following three aerate the wine well. I say go for what works for you. Do you want to put on a show for your friends then go for this model. I consider this model cumbersome. But hey, if you want to put on a show, go for it!






Another model I have used is this one. It can be convenient until the steel insert inside the rubber cone moves around and stops the wine from flowing through. I'll pass on this one as well. I don't want to fight with my aerator.





The third model I have used is my personal preference. No muss no fuss. Sure, you won't be putting on a show and it may not look as elegant as the others. However you can sit down and enjoy conversations and food on the table with your friends and not have to do battle with your aerator. I own this model.


Look for a wrapup from me on the Thomas Coyne Winery Winter Open House.
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