2008 Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel Rockpile Road Vineyard

2011 Delas Frères Côtes du Rhône Saint-Esprit

N.V. Locations F-2

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills

2009 Waterbrook Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Villa Creek “White”

2007 Villa Creek Avenger

N.V. Moët & Chandon Champagne Brut Impérial

 

 

 

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)

 

 

 

2011 Delas Frères Côtes du Rhône Saint-Esprit – $10.99

This is a 50/50 blend of Syrah and Grenache.

 

This has 14% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The inviting nose has crushed berries, stony minerals, smoke, cherry pits, licorice and dried flowers.  This has medium body, moderate silky tannins and good acidity.  Crushed berries and minerals coat the palate on the front end with smoke and cherry pits coming in later.  The finish has nice length with more smoke and a dried floral note adding depth.  Not as rustic as some Côtes du Rhône wines, much smoother and easy going.  Probably not one to sit on for too long, enjoy this one over the next year or two.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

N.V. Locations F-2 – $15.38

Even though this is labeled as non vintage, all the grapes are from 2012. This is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and assorted Bordeaux varietals from various regions in France.

 

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep dark ruby to purple color.  The very open nose has blackberries, currants, dried herbs, licorice, charred wood and dried flowers.  This has a fairly full body with moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate an overload of ripe fruit and spicy oak jump out first with licorice and dried herbs slipping into the picture on the back end.  The finish has good length and is very fruit driven.  This doesn’t offer much complexity but that doesn’t make it any less tasty.  This would be a big hit at a party with a platter of meats and cheeses.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills – $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 14.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  The very enticing nose has raspberries, cherries, baking spices, cola, and some nice earthiness.  This has medium body, moderate tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate the wine is rich but reigned in and it stays in focus.  The finish is fairly long with a nice blend of fruit and savory elements.  This shows nice balance and the closing acidity provides very nice lift.  This is a great value for the price.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Waterbrook Cabernet Sauvignon – $9.49

This is one of the better, value priced, Cabernets out there.  This won’t rock your world, but it is generally a very nice, varietally correct, dry, structured, Cabernet that can be found for under $10.

 

This has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

Winery history

 

Waterbrook Winery was founded in 1984 by Eric and Janet Rindal and is located in Washington State’s lovely Walla Walla Valley.

 

Waterbrook continues to be one of the Walla Walla Valley’s largest producers of premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Melange wines.  Production is around 35,000 cases a year.  Waterbrook was selected by the editors of Wine Spectator as one of 50 great producers every wine lover should know for smart buys.  The tasting room in downtown Walla Walla pairs fine wine with fine art, providing a destination point of distinctive style.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color.  The very nice nose features plums, cassis, dried herbs, earthy elements, baking spices, minerals, and cherries.  This has a medium body with soft tannins and good acidity.  There is a nice mix of savory and fruity elements on the palate with the savory elements up front and the fruit coming in on the back end.  Decent length on the finish which again has nice fruit, but the savory elements carry the load.  A very nice change of pace if you are tired of fruit forward California Cabernets.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Villa Creek “White” – $20.80

This is one of my favorite White California Rhone Ranger wines.  This is a blend of 70% stainless steel fermented Grenache Blanc and 30% James Berry Vineyard Roussanne that was fermented in concrete and neutral oak.

 

This has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden yellow color.  The light and summery nose has melon, peach pit, minerals, white flowers, orange zest and a touch of spice.  This dry wine has medium body and very nice acidity.  On the palate melon and apricot flavors occupy the front end with some building minerality and citrus coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with minerals and some spice seeming to linger forever.  This tastes very good now and will last in the cellar for a couple more years.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Villa Creek Avenger – $35.00

As anyone who has followed me on Twitter or read this blog for very long knows, Villa Creek is one on my top 5 favorite wineries.  Of all the wines offered by the winery, vintage after vintage, The Avenger is my favorite wine they produce.  This is a blend of 75% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre and 10% Grenache.

 

This has 14.7% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The absolutely stunning nose has blackberries, cherries, minerals, eucalyptus, violets, Asian spices, licorice, and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium to full body, moderate ripe tannins, and good acidity.  This delivers a mouthful of juicy berries and spice up front with minerals, eucalyptus, and some earthiness kicking in on the back end.  The finish is fairly long with nice lingering sweet fruit, spice, and minerals.  (92 pts)

 

 

We paired the Avenger with a personal favorite meal from our prior life living in Texas, Chicken Fried Steak.  If properly prepared, the meat is tender and juicy with a the breading adding nice flavor and texture.  The cream gravy provides nice richness.

 

 

 

N.V. Moët & Chandon Champagne Brut Impérial – $36.99

This is roughly a blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier and 25% Chardonnay.

 

This has 12% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork Champagne stopper.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden straw color with very persistent, pinpoint bubbles.  The very inviting nose has baked apples, pears, lemon zest, fresh baked bread and a touch or nuttiness.  This has a light body with considerable effervescence, tart citrusy acidity and is just about bone dry.  On the palate baked apple with nutmeg and cinnamon pops out first with yeasty notes and lemon zest coming in later.  The finish is crisp with a touch of nuttiness joining the yeasty notes and lemon zest.  This is very easy to sip while just sitting back and relaxing.  (89 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.

 

 

 

Cheers!