2011 Clos de l’Oratoire des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc

2009 Château Haut-Surget

2004 Ojai Syrah Thompson Vineyard

2008 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon

2007 Jacob Franklin Mon Chou #50 NapaValley

 

 

These are the wines we had at a dinner party at the home of a couple of friends.  Since the wines were not the focus of the evening, my tasting notes will be more of a brief impression of the wines.

 

I wish I would have taken a picture of the food for the evening, it was wonderful.  The main course was bacon wrapped smoked pork tenderloins, grilled potatoes, and roasted Brussels sprouts.

 

 

 

 

2011 Clos de l’Oratoire des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc

I’ve had the red version of this wine but this was my first opportunity to try the white.  This is a blend of 30% Grenache Blanc, 30% Clairette, 30% Roussanne, and 10% Bourboulenc.  The Clairette was aged in barrel, the rest were aged in stainless steel.

 

The wine was a vibrant light yellow color that was full of lemon zest, minerals and white peaches with some spice and green tea.  This had medium body with good acidity.  On the palate this had a nice balance between the richness and tart elements.  I’d have liked to spend a bit more time with this one.  This was on the young side but was delicious.  (Rated A-)

 

 

2009 Château Haut-Surget

This wine is a blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc.  As is usually the case at a party, I’d have enjoyed another glass of this one.  Unfortunately our wives also loved this one and we encountered an empty bottle after spending some time tending to the meat on the smoker.  In other words we were enjoying the crisp fall weather outside while talking and sipping the wine.

 

This dark ruby to maroon colored wine was a touch shy on the nose initially but opened nicely as it warmed and took on a bit of air.  The nose had black cherry, crushed berries, tobacco, and minerals with traces of dried herbs and dark chocolate.  This had medium body. soft to moderate tannins and good acidity.  This was nicely balanced and was not out of place sipping on its own.  (Rated B+)

 

 

2004 Ojai Syrah Thompson Vineyard

This Syrah was blended with a substantial amount of both grenache and mourvedre by the winery in an effort to make a more interesting and complex wine.  In my opinion, the goal was achieved.  This was still pretty tight upon pouring but it woke up and stretched its wings after about 30 minutes in the glass.

 

This maroon colored gem had blackberry, black cherry and some earthy underbrush on the nose with dried herbs and meaty notes in the back ground.  This had a fairly full body, moderate tannins and nice acidity.  This was rich and powerful on the palate and showed nice balance and a long layered finish.  (Rated A)

 

 

2008 Januik Cabernet Sauvignon

This wine is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec from the Champoux, Klipsun, Ciel du Cheval, RedMountain and Weinbau vineyards.

 

This was another wine that opened up nicely and improved the longer it was in the glass.  This was very nice but will be even better down the road.  That said, the longer this was in my glass the more I liked it.

 

This dark ruby wine has nice black currant, cherries, baking spices and cedar on the nose with dried herbs, minerals, and vanilla adding depth.  This had medium body, dusty tannins and good acidity.  The cherries and spice initially dominated the palate but with some air more complexity began to break through.  (Rated A-)

 

 

2007 Jacob Franklin Mon Chou #50 Napa Valley

This is a personal favorite that I have written about and reviewed multiple times.  This is a “second label” from Elyse Winery.  The Jacob Franklin wines are smaller production, much more limited wines compared to their mainstream Elyse wines.  If you ever visit Napa, I highly encourage stopping in and trying these wines.

 

This wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Malbec, and 6% Petit Verdot.

 

The wine was a deep ruby to maroon color with crushed berries, dried herbs, warm baking spices and minerals on the nose with supporting notes of licorice and dark chocolate.  This had medium body, moderate ripe tannins and good acidity.  The wine had nice richness on the palate but did not show any overly ripe notes.  The finish was long and nicely layered.  Another very nice showing.  (Rated A)

 

 

Napa Valley Film Festival

Are you interested in attending the Napa Valley Film Festival?  The festival runs from November 13 through 17.

 

Oh, almost forgot, how does attending the event for free sound?  To celebrate being a sponsor of the event, Benchmark Wine Group is giving away a very nice package to one lucky person.  Enter by October 31st for your chance to win.

 

The Napa-based company is offering one lucky winner two Festival Passes to the Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF), worth a $500 value; two private invitations to the Benchmark Opening Night VIP kick-off party; and exclusive access to the sneak preview screening of ‘August: Osage County’, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

 

Benchmark Wine Group will be hosting an exclusive Opening Night VIP kick-off party on Wednesday, November 13 and a winemaker tasting with Todd Alexander of Bryant and Bettina on Friday, November 15.  NVFF Patrons and special guests will be invited to join Benchmark Wine Group at the Michael Holmes Gallery at Riverfront, 606 Main Street, from 8 pm to 10 pm Wednesday to launch the week’s festivities.  Every guest Wednesday will be entered into a raffle for a chance to buy a bottle of 2001 Château Haut-Brion for $1; taste magnums of 1983 Pétrus, 1966 Château Margaux, and 2003 Diamond Creek; and enjoy food catered by Morimoto Napa.

 

For more information, click here.

 

To view the official rules and to enter, click here.

 

A video about the event from my bud, Amy Payne, is available by clicking here.

 

 

 

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

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

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

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

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

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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!