2009 JC Cellars Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard

2007 Core Tempranillo C3 Reserve

This is a much smaller than usual Thursday edition of Cliff’s Wine Picks. I had online tastings on Monday (3 bottles from Murrieta’s Well) and on Thursday (4 bottles of Rieslings from Alsace). There are, or will be posts on those events in the next few days.

2009 JC Cellars Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard – $18.99

When the local store brought these in, along with a few other JC Cellars wines and offered them at a killer price, I had to grab a mixed case. After trying the Roussanne and Petite Sirah from the offer, I grabbed several more bottles. This will be my first bottle of this wine and I have fairly high expectations. I loved the Rosenblum wines crafted by Jeff Cohn and have never been disappointed by the ones he has produced under his own label.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep garnet color. The inviting nose has smoky, earthy berries, dark bittersweet chocolate, minerals, meat juices, black pepper, dried herbs, warm baking spices, and just a touch of road tar. This has a fairly full body, moderate to full tannins, and good acidity. On the palate the juicy, smoky berries grab hold, slowly allowing dried herbs, black pepper, and meaty elements to slip through. The finish has nice length with some earthiness and dark chocolate being added to the mix. This is still very young but already showing well with some air. This will be much better down the road. (90 pts)

2007 Core Tempranillo C3 Reserve – $17.06

I’ve been a fan of Dave Corey’s Core Wines since I grabbed a six pack of his 2004 Core Red Blend 163 several years ago. Those six bottles didn’t last very long in my cellar but over the years I have had the good fortune of being able to grab some bottles either online or when I ventured down to Chicago where the wine was (is?) distributed.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a slightly hazy ruby red color. The stunning nose has cherries, black raspberries, minerals, Asian spices, worn leather, melted licorice, earthy underbrush, tobacco, and some dried herbs. This has medium body, moderate ripe tannins, and very nice acidity. The palate has tart cherries, minerals, and a load of spices up front with dried herbs and slowly building earthiness on the back end. The long, lingering finish is a continuation of the tart cherries, spice, and earthiness from the palate. This is on the young side but drinking very nicely today with a bit of air. An outstanding California Tempranillo. (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.