2004 Salvestrin Cabernet Sauvignon Salvestrin Estate Vineyard

2007 Carlisle Petite Sirah Yorkville Highlands

2007 Beresan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley

2008 Villa Creek Avenger

 

 

 

2004 Salvestrin Cabernet Sauvignon Salvestrin Estate Vineyard – $25.34

I grabbed a few bottles of this from the wine store a few years ago when it was offered at a great price.  This is the last bottle from that purchase and based on the quality of the wine, their asking price was an even better deal.

 

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The relaxing nose features cassis, fresh ground espresso, plums, tobacco, vanilla, dark chocolate, cedar and some eucalyptus.  This has medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Spicy fruit on the palate with just a bit of toasty oak hit first with fresh ground espresso and plums coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with a bit of the eucalyptus and dark chocolate making an appearance.  This will last in the cellar for a few more years but it’s hard to resist at this point in its development.  This is a very nice Napa cab for $25.  This has 14.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Carlisle Petite Sirah Yorkville Highlands – $34.50

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The enticing nose is full of crushed blackberries, fresh cracked black peppercorns, blueberries, road tar, camphor, minerals, licorice, smoked meat and dark chocolate.  This has a full body with solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate pepper laced black and blue berries grab hold immediately with minerals, licorice and smoked meat slipping in later.  The finish has good length with camphor and dark chocolate adding depth and complexity.  This has really opened up over the last couple of years and is in a nice drinking window but it should hold for several years and perhaps even improve.  This has 14.1% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  There were a total of 155 cases produced.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Beresan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley – $16.99

This was one of the Garagiste Mystery wines.  In this case, this was the anonymous Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon that was offered for $16.99 last March.  I wasn’t familiar with the winery which left me even more intrigued.  I opened a bottle of this not long after it was delivered and enjoyed it a lot.  It’s time to try another bottle to see how it is coming along.

 

This has 14.2% alcohol by volume and is closed with a natural cork.

 

Winery history

Located in the world-renowned Walla Walla Valley appellation, Beresan has 27 acres of estate vineyards that we carefully manage to produce premium fruit, and in turn, great wine.  The geologic distinctiveness of our vineyards, combined with fine winemaking, is reflected in the unique character of our exclusive, limited production wines.

 

Owned and operated by the Waliser family, our mission at Beresan Winery is not only to make outstanding wine and satisfied wine consumers, but to live a dream of having a fun, successful and enduring experience with friends and family at our winery.

 

We invite you to enjoy our wines and come see us at our winery in the beautiful Walla Walla Valley.

 

For more information, visit http://beresanwines.com/

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby to garnet color. The classic nose has cassis, cedar, dried herbs, minerals, tobacco, Asian spices, wild flowers, dark chocolate, and a solid hit of earthy underbrush. This has a medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity. The palate has nice fruit on the front end then the dried herbs, minerals, earthiness, and spice kick into high gear dominating the mid palate and backend. The finish has decent length and again leans on the savory elements with the fruit providing a touch of needed sweetness. This is in a nice place today, but should last in the cellar for a few more years.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Villa Creek Avenger – $29.75

The Avenger is my favorite wine from the Paso Robles based Villa Creek.  This is generally a full bodied, big boned, and brawny Rhone Ranger blend.  This vintage is a blend of 70% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre and 15% Grenache from the Booker Vineyard in Paso Robles.  I have been and probably will always be a big fan of this winery.  This is the last winery that I get an automatic shipment at every release and usually add on extra bottles.  In my house, there is no such thing as having too much Villa Creek in the cellar.  This wine has 15.5% alcohol and the bottles is sealed with a natural cork with a wax coating.

 

Winery history

In the spirit of the great wine producers of the southern Rhone and the bodegas of Rioja and Priorat, blending is what Villa Creek does best.  The area’s finest Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Tempranillo Vineyards are just a stone’s throw from the west Paso Robles winery where these blends are lovingly produced by winemaker Cris Cherry and his wife JoAnn.

 

The grapes of the area’s most progressive vineyards, James Berry, Denner, Ohana and Booker, currently grace the wines of Villa Creek Cellars.  Per acre contracts insure that the fruit comes off the same blocks each vintage.  The Cherry’s own 70 acre estate on the west side of Paso Robles boasts elevations of 1400-1800 feet, calcareous soils, south facing slopes and ample water.  In the spring of 2012, the Cherry’s finished planting their first grape vines, 3.5 acres of Grenache.  They look forward to planting Mourvèdre and Carignan in the months to come.

 

Much more information is available on their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, ruby red color.  The sexy and inviting nose has black raspberries, graphite, incense, cherries, plums, fresh wild flowers, melted licorice, vanilla, dark chocolate, crushed stones and some subtle earthiness.  This has a full body, fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate, besides a load of nice fruit, there are abundant amounts of dark chocolate, pepper, vanilla, crushed stones and a floral element.  The finish is very long and highlighted by juicy, crushed berries, dark chocolate, and a some earthiness.  This still tastes young and fresh.  There is no hurry on this one, enjoy it over the rest of the decade.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

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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 always check out the sale and close out items when in a store.  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!