2008 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard

2009 Girard Petite Sirah

2008 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Prologue

2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Coastview Vineyard

 

 

 

2008 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard – $15.04

There was a period of time, not that long ago, when Rosenblum Cellars was on top of the wine world.  As it always seems to happen, a successful, smaller winery gets enticed into selling to a large corporation.  To me, the transition has net been a smooth one.  Perhaps it was a cost cutting move to recoup the money paid or just the transition to a new winemaking team, the quality has slipped noticeably.  Hopefully the corporation can right the ship and get the line back to the previous level of quality.  Time will tell.

 

This has 14.5% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork

 

Winery history

In 1978, Rosenblum Cellars opened its now-legendary home in Alameda, California; a place known more for its docks and shipyards than for winemaking.  But then again, Kent Rosenblum, “The King of Zin,” always did things a little differently from the status quo.

 

When most of the established wineries in California were focused on their estate-grown wines, Kent chose to explore some of the unrecognized and under appreciated grape-growing areas of Northern California.  He met families who had been growing grapes for generations; dedicated growers passionate about their vineyards, who worked tirelessly to grow the best grapes possible from old vines their families had planted years before.

 

Their efforts showcased the difference between mountainside and valley floor grapes, the importance of soil types and their influence on the taste of a wine.  Kent was fascinated by the character and complexity of the Zin grapes produced by these old vines, and was determined to capture this spirit in a bottle.

 

Kent took grapes back to Alameda and began to make wines, acknowledging the contributions of his friends by placing the vineyard’s name on the bottle.  Working out of a factory building near the docks, Kent and his crew looked more like longshoremen than winemakers.  But the wine they made spoke for itself.

 

Rosenblum Cellars has become one the most-awarded and highly rated California Zinfandel portfolios.  Our head winemaker, John Kane, and his team still travel all over California to find exceptional grapes – working to make bold, delicious wines.  And if you’re ever in the neighborhood, we invite you to come visit us next to the docks in Alameda.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The fairly straight forward nose has brambly berries, vanilla, black pepper, dark bittersweet chocolate, camphor, and spicy oak.  This has medium to full body, moderate tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate the wine seems a touch thin and driven by the oak related elements with sweet berries coming in from the sides providing needed sweetness.  The finish is a touch short and again highlights the spicy oak and sweet berries.  For a Rosenblum wine, this could use a bit more extraction and depth.  This is a decent week night Zin to be consumed over the next couple of years.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

 2009 Girard Petite Sirah – $17.09

This has been a long time favorite of mine.  My consumption has declined over the last few vintages as the price escalated.  My local store loaded up and offered the wine at a killer price via their e-mail list, so I had to “back up the truck”.

 

This has 14.5% alcohol and is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

Winery History

Thirty years after first planting its vineyards, Girard continues to produce wines reflecting the quality that has made Napa Valley the most famous New World wine-growing region in the world. Napa Valley’s rise to fame was punctuated by a renaissance that began at the same time Girard was setting down its own roots.

 

As it has been in the past, Girard’s goal is to highlight the flavors of Napa Valley and its rich, ripe grapes. A small portion of the winery’s portfolio also comes from grapes grown in Sonoma’s upscale Russian River Valley, where cool weather offers ideal conditions for Chardonnay.

 

With the right grapes from the right locations, Girard offers a lineup that features both power and finesse–key words in California wine.

 

For more information, check out their website by clicking here.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The outstanding nose has blackberries, black pepper, smoke, caramel, wild flowers, cherries, dark chocolate, earthy underbrush, and vanilla.  This has medium to full body, moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the berries, pepper, and vanilla leap out first with some nice earthiness and a floral element coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with some dark bittersweet chocolate entering the picture.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

 2008 Anderson’s Conn Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Prologue – $17.09

As with a lot of wines, even though it is labeled as a Cabernet Sauvignon, it is actually a blend of blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Cabernet Franc.

 

This is the “entry level” Cabernet from Anderson’s Conn Valley.  This wine is usually available for under $25.  The other Cabs produced by the winery are generally two to three times that price.

 

This has 14.4% alcohol and is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

Winery History

Since 1983 we have been family owned and operated by the Anderson’s, and since our first release in 1987, Conn Valley Vineyards has been dedicated to producing world class wines. Our 40 acre Estate is located just south of Howell Mountain in Conn Valley. When you visit, we provide a personal and highly educational experience. Located just 3 miles or 10 minutes east of downtown Saint Helena, you’ll feel worlds away from the hustle and bustle of busy tasting rooms. Come get a slice of Napa use to be, meet the owners and wine team, and most importantly taste fantastic wines in our cave.

 

Visit the Anderson’s Conn Valley site for more information.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby to purple color.  The fairly typical nose has cassis, baking spices, tobacco, dried herbs, cedar, and dark bittersweet chocolate.  This has medium body, moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  The palate has nice berry, spicy oak and dried herbs.  The finish has nice length but is dominated by the oak with the fruit buried in the background.  Nice for under $20 but it does show too much oak at this time.  I don’t think the wine has enough body and extraction to be able to absorb the excess oak.  (89 pts)

 

 

2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Coastview Vineyard – $43.00

For the last few years I’ve felt Big Basin was one of the wineries to keep an eye on.  I think they are one big score away from popping onto most wine drinker’s radar.  Could they become the next Saxum?  In my opinion, the sky is the limit for this winery.

 

This wine is from a 2600 foot mountaintop vineyard in the Gabilan Mountains with decomposed granite and limestone soils.

 

The wine has 15.7% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Winery history

Big Basin Vineyards was founded in 1998 in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, with a new winery building completed in 2003.  Proprietor and wine maker Bradley Brown sources his wines from three Estate Vineyards – Rattlesnake Rock, Old Corral Block and Homestead Block.  All of the Estate vineyards are planted to Alban Selections on steep hillsides with mudstone and shale soils – 7 acres of Syrah, 2 acres of Grenache and 1 acre of Roussanne – and are farmed organically.  Additionally, Bradley works closely with Coastview Vineyard located at 2400 ft on a mountain top in the Gabilan Mountains overlooking the Salinas Valley and Monterey Bay (several miles due south of Mt. Harlan).  He has contracted with the vineyard to purchase Syrah planted in 1998 and to bud over certain sections of the vineyard to Pinot Noir and Grenache (in 2008) and plant a new block to an Alban selection of Syrah.  This vineyard is also farmed organically and managed according to Bradley’s direction.  Beginning in 2006, Big Basin started making Pinot Noir sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains.  As of 2009, Big Basin is making three different single vineyard Pinots from the Santa Cruz Mountains (Alfaro Family, Lester Family and Woodruff Family Vineyards), plus the Pinot from Coastview Vineyard in the Gabilan Mountains.

 

Much more information is available on their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The stunning nose is full of crushed blackberries, smoke, plums, dark chocolate, vanilla, minerals, black pepper, creosote, eucalyptus, Asian spices and violets.  This full bodied wine has fairly solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate smoke, berries and plums hit hard slowly giving way to black pepper and vanilla with some building minerality and vanilla coming in on the back end.  The long, luxurious finish has a nice mix of the fruit and savory elements with minerals closing the show.  This still seems to be on the young side but this intense gem shines even today with some air.  (93 pts)

 

 

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You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

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Cheers!

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

Cheers!