2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

2008 Core Grenache Reserve Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard

2005 Torbreck Shiraz The Struie

2009 One Time Spaceman Reserve Airspace James Berry Vineyard

2003 Cosentino Winery Legends Meritage

 

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands – $25.00

In my opinion, the Loring appellation wines are some of the best bargains out there when it comes to quality California Pinot Noir.  The Loring appellation wines are, at least to me, dialed down a notch compared to their single vineyard siblings.  This and the lower prices, under $25 make them a nice way to kick up a week night dinner several notches without breaking the bank.

 

This has 14.7% alcohol and is closed via a Stelvin+ screw cap.

 

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.

 

For more information, to buy wine, or to join the mailing list, visit their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a ruby red color.  The alluring nose has raspberries, warm baring spices, cola, cherries, wild flowers, plums, eucalyptus, and some earthiness.  This has medium body, soft tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate the baking spices and fruit jump out and take hold slowly allowing a touch of eucalyptus and earthiness to break through on the back end.  The finish has good length and adds some minerality to the fruit and spice.  (91 pts)

 

 

2008 Core Grenache Reserve Santa Barbara Highlands – $20.59

The regular 2008 Core Santa Barbara Grenache found a spot on my Top 10 QPR Wines of 2012.   The reserve adds a fair amount of savory/spicy elements leaving it nicely positioned somewhere between a normal California Grenache and their French Rhone brethren.

 

Core is quickly becoming one of my “go to” wineries when I want something a little different.  Dave Corey is making several straight varietal wines that are outstanding, but he also shines with his blends.   I’ve been a big fan of the wines Dave Corey produces for quite a while.  These highly expressive wines are top notch and very reasonably priced.  I highly recommend tracking down some Core wines and settling in for a couple hours of pleasure.

 

This has 14.9% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Winery history

Dave Corey’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Biology from San Jose State University and a master’s degree in Entomology and Plant Physiology from Kansas State University, which was completed in 1995.

 

Prior to entering the wine industry in 1996, Dave worked in Salinas and the Central Valley in agricultural fields including cole crops, cotton, almonds, citrus, walnuts, kiwi, table grapes, apples and stone fruit.  His first position in the wine industry was as a Pest Control Advisor with Cambria Winery and Vineyards and later at Kendall-Jackson Vineyards of Santa Barbara County.

 

Dave left Kendall Jackson Vineyards in 1999 to begin Vital Vines, a viticultural company providing technical support for vineyard property owners, vineyard managers and winemaking personnel in the promotion of sustainable agriculture.  He has worked with clients that include Laetitia, Barnwood, Beckman, Melville, Stolpman, Gainey, Zaca Mesa, Sea Smoke, Le Bon Climat, Sine Qua Non, Rideau, Carhartt, Rusack, Westerly, Fiddlestix, Vogelzang, Andrew Murray, Evergreen, Arita Hills and Royal Oaks.

 

With a major commitment and a second mortgage, Dave gradually decreased his vineyard consulting work to focus on vineyard sourcing, winemaking duties and winery direct sales for CORE wine company which he started in 2001 with his wife, Becky.  Dave passionately continues working in the same capacity today in addition to several new wine projects with family members.  He can also be found pouring wine for customers at the CORE wine company tasting room in Old Orcutt, California.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light to medium ruby red, much lighter at the edge. The very nice nose has cherries, dried herbs, black raspberries, baking spices, black pepper, and a touch of licorice. This has a medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very good acidity. On the palate this initially tastes like cherry pie, then the dried herbs and more spice kick in adding depth and balancing out the fruity elements. This has very nice length with the spicy cherries and dried herbs very slowly fading. This is a very nice California Grenache that may not appeal to someone looking for a Southern Rhone styled wine, but for the rest, this will have considerable appeal.  (91 pts)

 

 

2005 Torbreck Shiraz The Struie – $37.99

I’ve been a fan of some of the lower end Torbreck wines for a number of years first getting hooked on a bottle of their Woodcutter Shiraz a number of years ago.

 

When the local wine store brought in this wine and put it on the shelf at a great price, I had to grab several bottles.  I had one not long after purchase and decided this need some extended cellar time.  It’s been well over 4 years, so it’s time to see how it is progressing.

 

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

 

The Winery

Torbreck Vintners was founded by David Powell in 1994.  The roots go back to 1992 when Dave, who was then working at Rockford, began to discover and clean up a few sections of dry-grown old vines.

 

Much more information on this prestigious winery is available on their website.

 

The Wine

This 100% Shiraz is a blend of grapes from Eden Valley (46 year old vines) & Barossa Valley (64-110 year old vines).

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby to purple color.  The stunning nose has blackberries, cherry, violets, smoke, Asian spices, minerals black pepper, black brined olives, dark bittersweet chocolate and licorice.  This has medium to full body, moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the spicy berries and black pepper lead things off with minerals and a floral note coming in on the back end.  The finish is very long with a nice mix of fruit and savory elements.  This is a perfectly balanced Barossa Shiraz.  (94 pts)

 

 

We paired the Torbreck Shiraz with a family favorite on a cool, rainy, Fall day, some Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes all covered in a creamy gravy.  It’s nothing fancy but delicious.

 

 

 

2009 One Time Spaceman Reserve Airspace James Berry Vineyard – $49.39

I’m not really having much luck finding the break down of the blend used in this wine.  I’m sure it’s out there somewhere but I haven’t found it.  I guess all you really need to know is the grapes came from Saxum’s James Berry Vineyard.  The winemaker should know what to do with the grapes since his “day job” is Saxum’s Assistant Winemaker.

 

The winemaker and One Time Spaceman is Mark Adams, a rising star in my opinion.  Besides the One Time Spaceman label, he has another label called Ledge.  I recommend doing a Google search for them and joining the mailing list.  Mark is also the assistant winemaker for a small Paso Robles winery you may have heard of, Saxum.  In his spare time, he is also a musician.  Check out his latest offering, Panjanatan, I know it’s available on Amazon, that’s where I bought it, and probably other places as well.

 

The wine has 15.5% alcohol and is closed with a natural cork and sealed by a nice wax coating.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The enticing nose has cherries, blackberries, minerals, dried herbs, licorice, roasted herbs, meat juices, baking spices, dark chocolate and violets.  This has a full body, solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the fruit and spices are joined by solid minerality up front with herbs and chocolate coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length but gets a bit thin and ragged, with the tannins getting a bit chalky and drying.  This is very young and should improve with some cellar time, for the time being, let this one sleep since it doesn’t provide a lot of drinking pleasure at this time.  (86 pts now, check in again in a couple years for an accurate read)

 

 

2003 Cosentino Winery Legends Meritage – $29.99

Cosentino was a winery we always visited when we were in wine country.  After suffering through some hard times, the winery was eventually sold.  I, for one, am hoping the new owners will get the winery back on course.

 

The “Legends” wine was a joint project between Mitch Cosentino and Larry Bird.  This wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc using grapes sourced from various vineyards in Oakville, St. Helena, and Carneros.

 

This has 14.4% alcohol and is closed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby red color.  The very inviting nose has cherries, cassis, dried herbs, tobacco, minerals, cedar and baking spices.  This has medium body, moderate tannins and good acidity.  Nice spicy fruit and dried herbs great the palate with a touch of cedar coming in late.  The finish has nice length but does lose a bit of oomph.  A very nice wine that is just a touch short of being memorable.  (89 pts)

 

 

Connect with me

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!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2013 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

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Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

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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!