2006 Copain Syrah Thompson Vineyard

2008 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard

2009 August Kesseler Riesling R

2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Lorenzo’s Heirloom

2010 Ladera Cabernet Sauvignon Stile Blocks

2007 Scherrer Winery Chardonnay Helfer Vineyard

 

 

 

2006 Copain Syrah Thompson Vineyard – $40.00

It would be hard for me to pick a favorite vineyard source for Copain Syrahs, but Thompson would be in my top three.

 

This has 14.7% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep dark purple color.  The very open and giving nose has blackberries, dying wood embers, smoked meat, vanilla, dried herbs, black olives and earthy underbrush.  This has medium to full body, moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the wine is a bit brighter than the nose lead me to expect with cherries and dark chocolate joining the blackberries, meat and vanilla.  The finish has good length with some dried herbs and earthiness coming into the picture.  This still has years of life ahead of it.  (92 pts)

 

 

2008 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard – $15.04

Like a lot of people, Rosenblum was my favorite Zinfandel producer for several years.  After the sale of the winery, the wines have suffered.  I don’t know if this was due to loss of the main people in the operation, bad luck, or more likely the desire of the purchases to cash in on the name quickly and recoup the cost of their investment.

 

I’ve really enjoyed wines produced from the Rockpile area for a few years and actively hunted them down.  The local wine store brought this wine in and offered it at a great price via their weekly e-mail offers.  I grabbed a case.  Unfortunately, the wine has been a disappointment the few times I’ve tried it.  One last chance to see if another years in the cellar has helped.

 

This has 14.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

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, especially one from Rockpile, this could use a bit more extraction and depth.  A decent week night Zin to be consumed over the next couple of years.  (87 pts)

 

 

2009 August Kesseler Riesling R – $11.39

Riesling is our favorite white wine, by a wide margin.  When the local wine store brought this one in and had it on the shelf for a touch over $11, I had to grab a few bottles.  This is a Kabinett from the Rheingau region in Germany.

 

This has 10.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light yellow to straw color.  The fresh smelling nose has apples, juicy peaches, minerals, orange blossoms, lemon zest and a touch of petrol.  This has light to medium body, crisp acidity and just a bit of residual sweetness.  On the palate the apples and peaches jump out first with minerals coming into the picture followed by some nice tart citrus zest.  The finish is very tasty but a touch short.  This does not offer a lot of complexity but is still very tasty.  A nice German Riesling for just a touch over $10.  (88 pts)

 

 

2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Lorenzo’s Heirloom – $35.00

Bedrock is becoming best known for their “field blends” from some of the oldest vineyards in California.  This wine is a blend of 50% Zinfandel 25% Carignane, 20% Petite Sirah, and 5% Alicante Bouschet, Cinsault, and Valdigue.  This Dry Creek vineyard is over 100 years old.

 

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The deep and powerful nose has brambly berries, cherries, black pepper, earthy underbrush, minerals, warm baking spices, dried herbs and violets.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate berries, spice and minerals jump out first with cherries and earthy elements coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with dried herbs and black pepper coming into the picture.  This seems to still be on the young side.  I’d let this one sleep for a couple more years so we can see what is hidden behind the cloak of tannins and acidity.  (92 pts)

 

 

2010 Ladera Cabernet Sauvignon Stile Blocks – $39.99

I bought a few bottles of this wine hoping it was going to be a nice Cabernet for weekend dinners.  My first bottle was a bit disappointing since the wine lacked everything that makes a Howell Mountain Cab distinctive and interesting.  I’m hoping the first bottle was a bit off but based on a couple other notes, I’m afraid my initial opinion was right.  I guess I’ll see this evening.

 

This has 13.6% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep maroon color.  The big and fully open nose is full of cassis, licorice, warm baking spices, black pepper, leather, dried herbs, and a touch of cedar.  This has medium to full body with soft, ripe tannins, and decent acidity.  On the palate this is soft and jammy for a Howell Mountain wine.  Big, ripe, juicy, berries and spice hit the front end of the palate coating it in flavor with dried herbs and spicy oak coming in on the backend.  The finish has good length and shows jammy fruit and spice with an oaky overlay but could use some additional complexity.  This is an easier drinking wine than I expected, this isn’t one to stash in the cellar for an extended time.  (89 pts)

 

 

2007 Scherrer Winery Chardonnay Helfer Vineyard – $17.10

This is a 375ml half bottle.

 

I needed a cup of wine for a recipe and decided to use my last half bottle of this wine.  This will leave me a bit for the cook to sample.

 

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a golden straw color.  The very inviting nose has apples, pears, flinty minerality, baking spices, citrus zest, and buttered popcorn.  This has medium body and crisp acidity.  On the palate the apples, spice, and lemon zest grab the thunder with nice minerality slowly building on the back end.  The fairly long finish leans more on the spice and minerals with just a touch of oak coming into the picture.  This is a very nice Chardonnay in its prime.  This was from a 375ml bottle.  (92 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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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!