2011 Lacuna Wines Proprietary Red Blend

2004 Bodegas y Viñedos Montecastro y Llanahermosa Ribera del Duero

2011 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2011 Casey Flat Ranch Open Range

2014 Château de Campuget Costières-de-Nîmes Rosé Tradition de Campuget

2007 Westerhold Family Vineyards Syrah Westerhold Vineyard

 

 

 

2011 Lacuna Wines Proprietary Red Blend – $28.99

Most people probably have not heard of this winery.  I was lucky to hear about it only because the winemaker is Morgan Twain-Peterson from Bedrock Winery.

 

This vintage is the first “official” release for the winery, but I was luck to also be able to get a couple bottles of their 2010 vintage.  It looks like the earlier vintage was pretty much gobbled up by restaurants.

 

This vintage is a blend of 85% Syrah, 4% Petite Sirah, 3% Carignan, 2% Zinfandel, 6% Viognier from old vine and cooler sites in Sonoma County.

 

This has 14.3% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

The Winery

Lacuna is a collaborative venture between four partners Aaron, Nick, Pete and Morgan.  Our collective and longstanding passion for wine and food enticed us into the industry.

 

Now, after years of experience in many facets of the business we are happy and excited to offer a wine of our own.  Drawing from elements that have shaped our philosophy and preferences for wines that have origins both near and far we aspired to create a wine that is characteristic of California but also connected to a European tradition of balance and harmony.

 

Our vision took almost ten years to realize as we were engaged in our professions as wine importers, consultants, sommeliers and brand managers.  The process included endless speculation and, at times, utter confusion on how to get there.  Fortunately, the picture came into focus when we met our fourth partner and gifted winemaker, Morgan Twain Peterson.

 

For much more information or to join their mailing list, visit their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep garnet to purple color.  The enticing nose has blackberries, crushed stone minerals, smoked meat, dried herbs, dark roast espresso, dying wood embers, bacon fat and violets.  This has medium to full body, moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate the berries and smoked meat hit first with nice dried herbs, cherries, crushed stones and some earthiness coming in later.  The finish is fairly long and nicely layered with the fruit, wood embers and dried herbs seeming to last forever.  For such a young wine, this is drinking very nicely today but it has the balance to last in the cellar for many years.  An outstanding first release.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2004 Bodegas y Viñedos Montecastro y Llanahermosa Ribera del Duero – $28.73

I was in the mood for something a little different today.  A lot of people prefer a Rioja from Spain, but to me the Ribera del Duero is THE destination for outstanding Spanish wines.

 

I bought several of these a number of years ago and opened one WAY too young.  It was enjoyable but needed a couple more years in the cellar.  It’s time to see if I was able to keep my hands off it long enough.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby color.  The open and inviting nose is full of black cherries, dark bittersweet chocolate, smoke, well worn leather, blackberries, warm baking spices, and violets.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate spicy berries and cherries fly out of the gate with some building dark chocolate coming in on the back end.  The finish is very long and full of spicy cherries and dark chocolate.  Very tasty today but absolutely no hurry on this one.  (92 pts)

 

 

2011 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – $29.99

This wine is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 6% Malbec, 5% Petite Sirah, 3% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot from Mitchell, York Creek, Camusi and Lynch Vineyards.  The wine was aged for 18 months in American and French oak (40% new).

 

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The tempting nose has cassis, baking spices, cedar, dusty minerals, vanilla, raspberries, violets, tobacco and just a hint of an herbal note.  This has medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate spicy cassis, cedar and dusty minerals come on hard on the front end with vanilla and raspberries coming in on the back end.  The finish add a pleasant herbal note and more spice.  This is on the young side and it has the balance to age gracefully but that doesn’t stop it from being very tasty today.  This has 13.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

2011 Casey Flat Ranch Open Range – $8.70

This wine is a blend of 68% Syrah, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Petite Sirah, 6% Mourvedre and 1% Merlot.  The grapes for this wine was bought from various North Coast growers combined with some from the estate vineyards.  A total of 2,954 cases were produced.

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The inviting nose has blackberries, crushed stones, white pepper, cherries, cocoa powder and roasted leafy herbs.  This has medium to full body with soft to moderate tannins and nice acidity.  This is rich and velvety on the palate with crushed berries, cherries, white pepper and crushed stones hitting first followed by dark chocolate.  The finish has decent length with some roasted herbs coming into play.  This isn’t very complex and isn’t made to age but it is very tasty.  This is an easy drinker to enjoy with a week day meal of by itself with friends.  This has a twist off cap and has 14.8% alcohol.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Château de Campuget Costières-de-Nîmes Rosé Tradition de Campuget – $12.59

This wine is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache Noir.

 

The wine is a bright salmon pink color.  The sexy and inviting nose has cherries, strawberries, dusty minerals, orange blossoms, lemon zest, white pepper and a hint of dry earth.  This has light to medium body with crisp acidity and just a hint of sweetness.  On the palate bright fruit and minerals jump out first, followed by white pepper and orange blossoms.  The long finish adds some subtle earthiness and a cleansing twist of lemon.  This is the essence of Spring in a bottle.  Load up on this one if you see it at a good price.  This has 13.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.  (90 pts)

 

 

2007 Westerhold Family Vineyards Syrah Westerhold Vineyard – $42.00

This is a wine I tried due to Russell Bevan being the winemaker.  It absolutely blew me away.  I quickly ordered more and put the word out on Twitter.  I suggested to Jeb Dunnuck that he should track down a bottle to try, he then gave it 95+ on his The Rhone Report.  A wine store owner friend from Napa (yes, you Carrie) bought some for the store based on my recommendation, and had to restock since it became very popular.  I’m not sure the status of the winery’s mailing list, but I’d recommend checking to see if it is still open.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The intense nose has blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, charcoal, dark bittersweet chocolate, dried herbs, minerals, melted licorice, baking spices, and a nice floral note.  This has a fairly full body, solid ripe tannins and very good acidity.  This is lush and ripe on the palate but not really pushing the ripeness to the edge.  The palate shows nice peppery berries, licorice, and some smoked meat with baking spices and dried herbs in the background.  The finish is very long and highlights the fruit initially but as the fruit slowly fades, the savory elements keep going.  Still extremely young but already outstanding.  (95 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!