2010 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County

2010 Herman Story Grenache On The Road

2012 Carlisle Grüner Veltliner Steiner Vineyard

2009 Continuum Proprietary Red

 

 

 

2010 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County – $18.00

This vintage uses Zinfandel grapes from Russian River Valley 44%, Sonoma Valley 24% Dry Creek Valley 17%.  15% Petite Sirah was blended in for structure and complexity.  There were 390 cases produced.  The wine is a deep purple color.  The deep and dark nose has brambly berries, black pepper, melted licorice, dried herbs, cedar, tobacco, earthy underbrush, dried flowers and dark chocolate.  This has a full body with moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  Spicy, peppery berries coat the palate with dried herbs and earthy elements coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with more black pepper and berries seeming to linger forever.  This does show just a touch of alcohol on the nose and finish but it is barely noticeable and does not detract from the overall experience.  This has 15.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Herman Story Grenache On The Road – $33.60

This 100% Grenache uses grapes from Santa Barbara Highlands, Larner, Shadow Canyon, Terra Bella and Vogelzang Vineyards.  The wine was aged in 40% new French and 60% neutral French oak barrels.  There were 444 cases produced.  The wine is a deep ruby red.  The intoxicating nose has ripe berries, warm baking spices, melted licorice, roasted herbs, dark chocolate, sweet cherries, dried flowers and a touch of eucalyptus.  This has a full body with moderate tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate ripe, juicy berries and spice quickly take control, slowly allowing cherries and roasted herbs to slip through.  The finish adds a touch of eucalyptus and a dried floral note with some alcohol poking through at times.  This is a big, bruising, slap you on the back of the head wine that shows it’s alcohol at times but generally is well behaved.  This has 16.1% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.   (89 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Carlisle Grüner Veltliner Steiner Vineyard – $28.50

If you’re not familiar with this specific wine, there’s a good reason, there were only 92 cases produced.  This is Mike Officer’s California version of a Smaragd (the ripest level for dry wines produced in the Wachau) Grüner Veltliner from Austria.    An additional acre of Grüner has been planted in the vineyard so down the road production will increase a bit.  The wine is a bright golden yellow with a slight green tint.  The intriguing nose has lemon zest, white pepper, crushed stone minerals, green beans, dry straw and grapefruit zest.  This has medium body with good acidity and seems to be totally dry.  On the palate nice citrus zest, minerals and white pepper jump out first with straw and crisp, raw green beans coming in later.  The finish has good length and leaves your mouth watering for another sip.  A great California version of an Austrian GrüVe.  This has 14.1% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Continuum Proprietary Red – $89.99

This vintage is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot and 4% Merlot.  82% of the 2009 Continuum was grown on Pritchard Hill on the western hills above Oakville. The winery’s 62 acre estate vineyard features a variety of western and south facing aspects with plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot.  The remainder of the 2009 blend was sourced from Diamond Mountain, Mt. Veeder and Saint Helena.  The wine was aged for 21 months in 95% new French oak barrels.  25% of the potential lots were declassified as they did not meet Continuum’s quality standard.  The wine is a deep ruby color.  The very appealing nose has cassis, dusty minerals, licorice, dried herbs, cedar, scorched earth and cocoa powder.  This has medium body with solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Loads of dusty minerals, cassis and dried herbs coat the palate on the front end with cedar and cocoa powder coming in later.  The finish has nice length with minerals and cedar carrying the load with cassis in the background providing nice sweetness.  This tastes great today but a few years in the cellar will be highly rewarded.  The wine has 14.7% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

What would pair with a young bottle of Continuum, how about a thick cut, bone-in Rib-eye?  This beast weighed in at about 2.5 pounds.  This was plenty for my wife and I to share and the dogs had a great evening passing the bone back and forth between them.  Add a nice salad and a shared baked potato and a great evening was a certainty.

 

 

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but always check out the sale and close out items when in a store.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!