Cliff's Wine Picks

 

2012 Carlisle The Derivative White

2007 Elyse Petite Sirah Barrel Select

2014 Jean Edwards Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Dalla Gasperina Vineyard

2014 Ironstone Vineyards Cabernet Franc

2015 Azienda Bologna Cinsault a’Campo Old Vine Rosé

2013 McCay Cellars Grenache Abba Vineyard

 

 

 

2012 Carlisle The Derivative White – $28.50

This wine is a blend of:

54% Sonoma Valley Semillon, Monte Rosso Vineyard

30% Sonoma Valley Muscadelle, Pagani Ranch

16% Russian River Valley Palomino, Saitone Ranch

 

This was the third vintage of this versatile white wine.  The amount of new oak used for this wine has decreased to allow the fruit to shine.  The Muscadelle was fermented in stainless steel. The Palomino was fermented in 75% stainless steel and 25% new oak.  The Semillon was fermented in all oak but only 22% was new.  The wine did not go through malolactic fermentation to allow the retention of the acidity and to retain the freshness.  There were 316 cases produced

 

The wine is a nice golden straw color.  The fresh nose has melons, beeswax, lemon zest, orange blossoms, pineapple, chalky minerals and just a hint of spicy oak.  This has a fairly full body and a creamy texture with good acidity.  On the palate melon, beeswax, minerals and orange blossom grab your attention on the front end with under ripe pineapple coming in later.  The finish has nice length with lemon zest and a touch of spicy oak providing depth.  This is drinking very nicely right now and it should continue to show well for at least a couple more years.  This has 14.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Elyse Petite Sirah Barrel Select – $20.83

I’ve been a big fan of the quality red wines being produced by Elyse for many years.  The winery was one of the first we visited on our first trip to wine country.  This is an outstanding winery with equally outstanding people selling their wines at very consumer friendly prices.

 

This wine includes 9% Zinfandel.  The grapes are from Oles, Souyoultzis, Massa, Wood and Chavez-Leeds vineyards.  After fermentation, the wine was aged for 10 1/2 months in American oak with 40% being new.

 

The wine is a dark, inky maroon color, almost black.  The very expressive nose is full of crushed blackberries, minerals, blueberries, fresh ground dark roast coffee, dark bittersweet chocolate, warm baking spices and vanilla.  This has medium to full body, moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the spicy blackberries and minerals hit first and slowly allow some coffee and chocolate to peak through.  The finish is long and full of berries and dark chocolate with nice spice and coffee adding depth.  This is now in its’ prime drinking window and should hold for several years.  This isn’t made in a massively ripe style, the alcohol is a manageable 14.7%.  This could last another decade.  This wine has 14.7% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Jean Edwards Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Dalla Gasperina Vineyard – $24

The 2015 vintage of this wine was included in last week’s post.

 

This is the first white wine produced by Jean Edwards Cellars.  Dalla Gasperina Vineyard is on the northern end of the Rutherford Bench, down the road from Franciscan Winery.   This is a blend of 92% Sauvignon Blanc and 8% Semillon.  I highly recommend getting on the winery’s mailing list to get first shot at these limited production wines and to enjoy mailing list prices.  Check out the mailing list by clicking here.

 

The wine is a pale straw yellow color.  The enticing nose has apples, lemon zest, white pepper, leafy herbs, pineapple, dusty minerals, apricot, orange blossoms and anise.  This has medium body with mouthwatering acidity.  On the palate tart apples, white pepper, lemon zest and an herbal streak immediately take control on the front end with apricot and orange blossoms coming in later.  The finish has very nice length with anise and dusty minerals joining the tropical fruit and white pepper.  The crisp acidity will leave your mouthwatering for another sip.  A great initial white wine effort from this formerly red wine only winery.  This is very drinkable now but will last for at least two or three years, maybe longer.  This wine has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Ironstone Vineyards Cabernet Franc – $9.49

Ironstone Vineyards is a family owned winery that we visited during our Lodi excursion.  The Kautz family were gracious hosts during the visit.  I enjoyed their entire line-up of value priced wines.  The quality of the wines far exceeded the “low price of admission”.  To me, their Petite Sirah and this Cabernet Franc were the standouts.  I like the wine enough to include a few bottles in the case I bought soon after returning home.  Visit the Ironstone Vineyards website for a ton more information on the winery, family and the wines.

 

This wine is 85% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alta Mesa and Sloughhouse AVAs in Lodi.  The wine gets a brief two month aging in new French oak.

 

The wine is a medium to dark ruby color.  The very approachable nose has crushed berries, stony minerals, dried leafy herbs, vanilla, cedar and wild flowers.  This has medium body with soft tannins and good acidity.  On the palate juicy berries, vanilla and dried herbs dominate the front end with toasty cedar coming in on the back end.  The fruit laden finish has nice length.  This isn’t a wine to lay down, I’d drink this one on the younger side while the fruit is crisp and fresh.  Open this one with a juicy burger hot off the grill or even better with a platter of cheeses and meats with a few friends.  This wine is a steal if you can find it for around $10.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an artificial cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Azienda Bologna Cinsault a’Campo Old Vine Rosé – $14.40

I couldn’t find much information on the winery online.  I assume I’m just looking in the wrong places.

 

The wine is a light pink salmon color.  The soft and laid back nose has cherries, strawberries, stony minerals, orange blossoms, white peach and lemongrass.  This has light to medium body with crisp acidity and seems to be totally dry.  On the palate bright red fruit, minerals and white peach jump out on the front end with lemongrass and orange blossoms coming in later.  The finish has very nice length with mineral and red fruit.  The is a very flavorful and balanced rosé that pairs nicely with a light meal but also excels sipping on its’ own on a sunny day.  This has 13.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2013 McCay Cellars Grenache Abba Vineyard – $25.60

Michael McCay and his family moved to Lodi in the mid 1980s.  He started making wine in 1994 and launched McCay Cellars in 2007.

 

This is 100% Grenache that utilized a “native yeast” fermentation and that was aged in neutral oak.  A total of 178 cases were produced.

 

Much more information is on the winery’s website.

 

The wine is a light, translucent ruby red color.  The entrancing nose has raspberries, crushed stone minerals, warm baking spices, plums, white pepper, dry underbrush, fresh flowers and charred wood.  This has medium to full body with medium tannins and great acidity.  On the palate tart berries, white pepper, minerals and under ripe plums quickly grab your attention with baking spices and a nice floral note coming in later.  The finish has very good length with tart cherries and charred wood providing nice depth.  This is on the young side but already tastes great.  This has good balance and is not on the highly extracted/over ripe side of the line.  An outstanding effort!  This tastes more like a Rhone wine than one from the new world.  This has 14.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

 

I am a big fan of the “Flash Wine Sale” site Last Bottle.  You probably noticed some of the wines in this post were purchased from the site.  All of these wines were purchased at a big discount.  I highly recommend getting on their e-mail list.  Like most of the flash sale sites, they offer one wine per day until it sells out.  They also have a couple two-day marathons during the year.  Last Bottle is a great site to buy special wines at prices low enough to open any day of the week.

 

If you sign up using this link you will get a $10 credit that can be used on your first purchase.  I will also get a credit if you make a purchase.

 

Other than getting a credit as explained above, I have no financial interest in the site.  After you are on the list, you can also get the same credit by introducing friends to Last Bottle.

 

 

 

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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!