2006 Sterling Vineyards Merlot Three Palms Vineyard

2004 Palmaz Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cedar Knoll Vineyard

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard

2007 Scherrer Winery Zinfandel Scherrer Shale Terrace

2006 Sterling Vineyards Merlot Three Palms Vineyard – $20.89

My comments

This is a very consistent, single vineyard Merlot that used to be a “house favorite”. Unfortunately, over the years the price increases took enough of a toll, that I felt it no longer offered enough quality to merit the price. When the local store was able to secure enough of the wine to offer via an “end of vintage” e-mail offer for a touch over $20, I had to jump in.

Winery history

Sterling Vineyards is proud to be a certified Napa County Green Winery, a distinction we achieved in 2009 as one of the first 12 wineries to be included. This certification is a result of our diligent efforts in conserving water and energy, as well as preventing pollution and landfill waste.

In addition, Sterling is also certified as Napa County Green for our land and vineyard practices, which include sustainable vineyard management, water conservation, and fish-friendly farming across 100% of our estate vineyards.

Every year we recycle approximately 1,400 tons of waste, resulting in a waste diversion rate of 95%. This has resulted in awards in the Waste Reduction Awards Program from the California Integrated Waste Management Board for the past three years. (Proceeds from the award have been donated to local charities each year.)

Finally, in December 2008 our iconic tram was converted to solar power. The solar energy system produces more than 100,000 kilowatt-hours per year, which is equivalent to the energy required to power 5.5 homes for a full year. This conversion also eliminates 65 tons of CO2 emitted into the environment annually.

From vineyard practices to winery operations to the daily activities at our world-famous tasting rooms, Sterling Vineyards is proud to act as a dedicated steward of our environmental riches.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color. The very nice nose has cherry, cedar, melted licorice, plums, baking spices, tobacco, dried herbs, dark roast espresso, and a touch of earthiness. This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity. The palate shows no excess weight with nice balance between the fruit and savory elements. The finish is a touch short and a bit lean but other wise this is a very sound and appealing wine. A steal at $20 but questionable value at $60. (90 pts)

2004 Palmaz Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Cedar Knoll Vineyard – $18.21

My comments

This wine’s normal price is in the $45 to $49 range, which I feel is WAY too high. The community average price in CellarTracker for this wine is over $28, which is again pushing the limit. Luckily I was able to grab half a case for well under $20. That makes it a good Napa Valley Cab at a price that won’t break the bank when consumed on a week night, especially for an aged Cabernet is in its’ prime drinking window.

I’ve had a couple bottles that I liked and rated 89-90 points.

Winery history

Cedar Knoll Vineyard and Winery was founded in 1881 by Henry Hagen. One of their wines won a Silver Medal at the Paris Exposition in 1889. At that time, Cedar Knoll was one of Napa’s premier wineries. The winery was a victim of Prohibition and was closed for close to 80 years. Cedar Knoll is now owned by the Palmaz family. They have resurrected the vineyards and restored the original Hagen house. The vineyards occupy 55 acres and are located just northeast of the city of Napa.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby red color, much lighter at the edge. The very nice and appealing nose has cassis, cedar, dried herbs, cherry, smoke, tobacco, raspberry, baking spices, and a touch of well worn leather. This has medium body, good acidity, and fairly integrated tannins. On the palate the wine has silky smooth fruit up front with spices and dried herbs coming in on the back end. The finish has decent length with some spicy oak adding an extra dimension. Not a lot of complexity but this is in a nice place right now. This probably should be consumed over the next year or two before the fruit starts to fade. (89 pts)

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard – $45.00

My comments

Loring produces some of my favorite Pinot Noirs made in California and their wine from the Clos Pepe Vineyard is one of my favorite they produce. To me, this wine always has the rich and lush fruit that is the “house style” for Loring wines and has plenty of acidity and tannins to support the body and depth usually in this wine. For a wine of this quality, the price actually represents a nice value for a higher end, single vineyard, Pinot from California.

Winery history

My name is Brian Loring and my obsession is Pinot Noir. OK, I’m also pretty crazy about Champagne, but that’s another story. While in college, I worked at a wine shop in Hollywood (Victor’s), where one of the owners was a Burgundy fanatic. So, my very first experiences with Pinot Noir were from producers like Domaine Dujac, Henri Jayer, and DRC. Needless to say, I found subsequent tasting safaris into the domestic Pinot Noir jungle less than satisfying. It wasn’t until I literally stumbled into Calera (I tripped over a case of their wine in the store room) that I found a California Pinot Noir that I could love. But it would be quite a while before I found someone else that lived up to the standard that Josh Jensen had established. I eventually came to understand and enjoy Pinots from Williams Selyem, Chalone, and Sanford, but I really got excited about California Pinot Noir when I met Norm Beko from Cottonwood Canyon at an Orange County Wine Society tasting.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color. The very nice nose has cherries, baking spices, raspberries, underbrush, and a touch of smoke. This has medium to full body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity. On the palate the wine is rich and lush with juicy fruit but with plenty of savory elements adding considerable depth and complexity. The finish is long and very flavorful with the fruit, spice, and subtle earthiness lingering seemingly forever. This is outstanding today, but will last for at least a few years in the cellar. (93 pts)

2007 Scherrer Winery Zinfandel Scherrer Shale Terrace – $17.50

My comments

The Scherrer Winery futures program for their Zinfandels is one of the best mailing lists to join. The wines are ordered and paid for before they are bottled, several months later the wine is bottled and shipped. Generally the winery holds their zins in the bottle for a year before releasing them to the restaurants, distribution, or the normal mailing list. What’s the advantage of paying for wine and waiting for shipment? How about a big discount, 40% to 50% off regular release price? This top notch Zin cost me well under $20.

The Scherrer Zinfndels are built to age. These are well balanced zins with restrained alcohol levels that age marvelously. With enough bottle age, these take on the nuances of an aged Claret.

Winery history

In the mid-1970’s, due to a normal teenage interest in alcoholic beverages, my family allowed me to make some wine from the family vineyard and beer at home (under adult supervision, of course). This led to a UC Davis degree as well as concurrent work at a local winery doing the dirtiest and most menial jobs imaginable. In the mid-1980’s good friends at Duxoup Wine Works (think Marx Brothers for the pronunciation) inspired me to try my hand at my own label so I negotiated cellar space in lieu of a raise by my then-current employer, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards in Anderson Valley (I got a raise anyway). Greenwood Ridge was supportive of my project and decided to have some Scherrer Zinfandel produced for their label as well. Unfortunately, I had a poor business plan and during the first year I realized I was not yet ready for this project. Greenwood Ridge continues to make a small amount of Scherrer Vineyard Zinfandel to this day.

Much more information on this outstanding winery and a link to join the highly recommended mailing list available on their website.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby color, much lighter than your normal zin, this actually looks like a Pinot Noir. The very tempting nose has brambly berries, cherries, baking spices, minerals, smoke, white pepper, wild flowers, and some earthiness. The wine has medium body with fairly solid tannins and very good acidity. The palate leans a bit more to the red fruit than black with cherries, spices, minerals, and nice earthiness. The finish is fairly silky and smooth and lingers nicely. This is still on the young side and improved with air. Don’t be in a hurry on this one. (93 pts)

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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 my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. 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.