2012 Villa Creek “White”

2007 Anthill Farms Syrah Windsor Oaks Vineyard

2010 Copain Syrah Tous Ensemble

2006 Cosentino Winery The Poet

2010 John Duval Wines Shiraz Entity

2008 Bodega Sottano Malbec Reserva de Familia

 

 

 

2012 Villa Creek “White” – $20.80

This wine is always an easy buy when it’s offered on the Villa Creek release offer.  I should just have a standing order of 6 bottles of this wine and 6 of their “Pink”.  Over the years I’ve turned on a few friends of the great wines offered by the winery.

 

This is a blend of 70% Grenache Blanc and 30% James Berry Vineyard Roussanne.

 

This has 14.2% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light yellow straw color.  The crisp and refreshing nose has ripe pear, apples, crushed stone minerals, toast, lemon zest, honeysuckle and just a touch of spice.  This has medium body with very nice acidity and a hint of lingering sweetness.  On the palate pears and minerals jump out first with apples, toast and honeysuckle coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with tart lemon zest and a touch of sweetness providing perfect balance.  This is an outstanding value that will drink nicely over the next few years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Anthill Farms Syrah Windsor Oaks Vineyard – $25.00

Anthill Farms likes to make a “one off” wine.  In 2005, they made a Syrah with grapes from the Windsor Oaks Vineyard that turned out so well, it was quickly made part of their line up.  This is a classic cool climate Syrah that shows tart acidity and good savory elements.  The vineyard is only 10 miles from the coast and the grapes struggle to ripen in this area, resulting in longer “hang times”.  This is not a fruit forward, fruit driven, fruit bomb.

 

This has 13.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark, inky ruby to purple color.  The very inviting nose has raspberries, blackberries, crushed stone minerals, black pepper, licorice, road tar, dried herbs, scorched earth, dark bittersweet chocolate and dried violets.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  Bright fruit, pepper and minerals quickly engulf the palate, slowly allowing dried herbs and scorched earth to slip through.  The finish has very nice length with a nice floral note joining the tart fruit, minerals and pepper.  This will easily last in the cellar and possibly improve over the next several years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Copain Syrah Tous Ensemble – $18.99

This was Copain’s effort to put out a value priced, mid-level, appellation branded level of wines.  The Copain Tous Ensemble line up has grown to now include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Roussanne, Viognier, and a Rosé.  In my opinion, the Copain Tous Ensemble lineup offers stunning quality for the price.  I’ve had and greatly enjoyed multiple vintages of the Syrah, Pinot Noir, and the Rosé.  I know these wines have some distribution, I bought this one at a local wine store, I highly recommend grabbing a bottle to sample if you see one on your local wine store’s shelf.

 

This has 13.6% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

Winery history

Wells Guthrie discovered early on that his taste in wine gravitated toward Europe in general and France’s Rhône Valley in particular.  So much so, he picked up and moved with his new bride to the region to learn from the best.  For two years, Wells apprenticed for esteemed winemaker and living legend Michel Chapoutier in France’s Rhone Valley.  During that time, Wells was deeply inspired by the traditions and practices of French winemaking, not to mention the European attitude that wine is an essential part of life.  At Copain, he creates wines that are firmly rooted in California, yet with the sensibilities of the European wines that so moved him.  He is as committed to crafting these elegant, nuanced wines as he is to building a legacy that will be passed down to his daughters in the great tradition of European winemakers whose estates have been in the same family for generations.

 

For more information on Copain, visit their website by clicking here.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep maroon color.  The very pleasing nose has blackberries, brined olives, dried herbs, smoked meat, raspberry, crushed stone minerals and wildflowers.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate brined olives join the berries on the front end with stony minerals and dried herbs coming in later.  The finish has good length with a meaty element and wildflowers joining the show.  This will be easy to enjoy over the next few years.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Cosentino Winery The Poet – $28.49

Cosentino was a winery we always visited when we were in wine country.  After falling suffering through some hard times, the winery was eventually sold.  I, for one, am hoping the new owners will get the winery back on course.

 

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot that was barrel aged for 27 months.

 

This wine has 14.9% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

From Mitch Cosentino

On Facebook, I asked Mitch about the origin of the name “The Poet”, here was his response:

Ray Manzarek of the Doors always thought of THE POET as Jim Morrison.  Others have thought it was me.  In actuality it was one of four wines in the “Rare Art” series (POET, NOVELIST, SCULPTOR, and WINEMASTER) created some 34 years ago.  Each wine was named for the artist who’s approach to their medium was similar to the approach to that particular wine.  The whole story is longer with more detail than I have time or space here.  I am no longer involved in these any more.  They are the creations I miss most.  But the wines live on. I am still making what was inside the bottle under different identities from most of the same vineyards at PureCru Wines.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color.  The very appealing nose has cassis, cigar box, dried herbs, licorice, cherries, baking spice, and some minerality.  This has medium body, moderate tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate spicy fruit and toasty oak lead off the show with some cherries and dried herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length and again is supported by the fruit and oak.  This is drinking nicely today as long as a bit of oak doesn’t bother you.  This is not made in a big rich style that has become popular with a lot of California Cabernets and blends, this wine needs food.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2010 John Duval Wines Shiraz Entity – $33.24

This vintage of Entity includes some Eden Valley Shiraz to help maintain the elegance and style of Entity.  The wine was aged in 100% French oak for 18 months, 36% of which was new.

 

This wine has 14.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark, inky purple color.  The very open and powerful nose has blackberries, baking spices, dark chocolate, vanilla bean, blueberries, white pepper, candied violets and a touch of cedar.  This has medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  This is a beast on the palate, full of dark berries and spice up front with vanilla bean and dark chocolate coming in later.  The finish is very long with white pepper, candied violets and spicy oak adding considerable depth.  This is drinking very nicely but will improve with some time in the cellar.  Outstanding!  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Bodega Sottano Malbec Reserva de Familia – $16.62

I grabbed several of these based on recommendations from a few people.  I’m a big fan of Malbecs from Argentina.  I generally open one when I’m in the mood for something different.

 

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

 

Winery history

Our family venture, is a Boutique Winery which is only devoted to produce high quality wines.

 

We combine valuable resourses to satisfy discerning palates, sophisticated experts,

who enjoy of a genuine and thousand-year old beverage, but more contemporary than never.

 

CAPACITY

Our production capacity is about 500.000 litres of wine. They are storaged in 25.000, 20.000, 10.000, 5000 and 2500 stainless steel tanks.

This allows a better and thorough quality control.

The select wine is also put in 225 litres barrels of French and American oak.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine a very deep and dark purple to black color.  The outstanding nose has blackberries, freshly sharpened pencil, dark chocolate, fresh ground espresso, dried herbs, and leather.  The wine has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  The rich and velvety palate has loads of berries and dark chocolate up front with dried herbs and a touch of earthiness coming in on the back end adding a lot of depth.  The finish is fairly long with the chocolate, berries, and dried herbs slowly giving way to a touch of excess oak.  This is still a baby and will greatly reward some cellar time, that said, other than a bit of oak on the finish this is already stunning.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

 

2012 Trentadue Winery Zinfandel

2012 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Central Coast

2008 Carlisle Two Acres

 

 

It was another slow week wine wise.  My wife is doing better and as her broken wrist heals, we’ll begin opening more wine, which will give me more to write on this page.

 

 

 

2012 Trentadue Winery Zinfandel – $14.24

I’m always on the lookout for good bottles of wine for week nights.  An Alexander Valley zinfandel on the local wine store’s shelf for around $15 qualifies as a no-brainer.  Trentadue is not a new winery for me, I’ve visited the winery in the past and their Cuvée 32, a California version of a “Super Tuscan”, is one of my favorite wines.  According to the winery’s website, the grapes for this wine come from vines that are over a century old.  The wine has a suggested retail price of $18.00.

 

This has 14.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a screw top.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The appealing nose has brambly berries, black pepper, vanilla bean, underbrush, dried wildflowers, dusty minerals, black cherries and dried herbs.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  Tart cherries, pepper and underbrush hit the palate first with vanilla and minerals coming in later.  The finish has decent length with a nice dried floral note entering the picture.  Not a lot of complexity but very tasty and very good QPR.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2012 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Central Coast – $15.29

I grabbed a bottle of this wine to see how well they did with the exceptional 2012 vintage.  The fact the wine was just a touch over $15 didn’t make my buying decision too tough.  This wine is produced from grapes harvested on California’s Central Coast including Olson Ranch in the Santa Lucia Highlands.

 

This has 14.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby color.  The nice nose has cherries, baking spices, earthy underbrush, cranberry and wildflowers.  This has medium body with soft tannins and good acidity.  On the palate cherries and spice pop out first with some earthiness coming in on the backend.  The finish has nice length with a nice floral note and cranberries entering the picture.  Not a lot of complexity but a nice, reasonably priced Pinot Noir.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Carlisle Two Acres – $28.75

This vintage of this wine is a blend of 79% Mourvedre, 7% Petite Sirah, 6% Syrah, 5% Carignane and 3% Alicante Bouschet.  The grapes are from the Two Acres Vineyard  in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley.  The vineyard was planted in 1910.  According to the winery, “This vineyard was on the brink of death when we took it over in 1996 but slowly and surely we have brought it back to life.  We completed its renovation in 2003 by replacing all missing vines.  Most of the replants were Mourvèdre but we did include a few syrah vines.”

 

This wine has 14.2% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  There were 296 cases of the wine produced.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby color.  The intoxicating nose has blackberries, fresh cracked black pepper, charred wood, cherries, Asian spices, dried violets, dusty minerals, dry earth and some subtle smoked meat.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate this provides a big upfront dose of dark fruit, minerals and spice with black pepper and dried earth on the back end.  The finish has outstanding length with cherries and charred wood entering the picture.  This is drinking very nicely at this time but should hold for several years.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

Each week I pick out one wine to highlight as my wine of the week.  This wine may be an outstanding wine, a great value or just something very interesting.

 

 

 

Overview

Novy is the “sister” winery of Adam and Dianna (Novy) Lee’s Siduri Winery.  All things Pinot Noir carry the Siduri label, everything else gets Novy.  If you see a wine with either label, I recommend grabbing a bottle (or a case).  You are guaranteed a quality wine at an exceptional price.

 

 

The Winery (Adam’s Reflections)

Welcome to 2014!  For us, 2014 is a year to celebrate and also to reflect, as it was 20 years ago that we started Siduri Wines.  Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine that we’d end up where we are, two decades later, doing what we do.  In the introduction to this year’s newsletters, we will share some of the stories that brought us to where we are now.

 

It was actually in 1993 that we first met, at Neiman-Marcus in Dallas.  I had taken a job as one of the Wine Buyers there while Dianna had started in the Epicure Department.  We worked right next to each other and, soon after, we started dating.  Dianna likes to tell people that she went out with me because I had good wine and because I was the only straight guy that worked at Neimans.

 

We soon started talking about moving out to California (specifically the Russian River Valley) and getting involved in the wine business, though I initially considered being a wine writer rather than a winemaker.  I moved out first and even started a publication called “Vintages, Vines, and Wines” and Dianna followed several months later.  The idea of actually making wine was largely hers.  Funded with $24,000 (our combined savings) we placed an advertisement in a publication called “Wine County Classifieds” looking for Pinot Noir grapes.  We visited three different sites and eventually chose one site, that allowed us to buy an acre’s worth of grapes and do much of the farming ourselves, and we were on our way.

 

It is fitting that in this newsletter, three of the four wines come from the Russian River Valley, the place we have called our home for the past two decades.  The Russian River Valley is a special place, both for us and for producing remarkable wines.  Both the vintage and the wines produced in 2012 are proving to be truly remarkable.  We hope that you enjoy them and enjoy this first trip down memory lane.

 

More information about Novy is available on their website by clicking here.  The site could use an update, the site lists the 2010 vintage of this wine as the current release.  The Siduri site is much more current and contains a ton of great information.

 

 

 

 

2012 Novy Family Wines Zinfandel Russian River Valley – $18.99

This wine uses grapes from three vineyards in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley.  Elsbree Vineyards supplies 63% of the grapes with Papera Ranch (25%) and Carlisle Vineyard (12%) supplying the remaining fruit.  The younger vines from the Elsbree Vineyard supplies good fruit characteristics with the fruit from the two older vineyards providing darker fruit and adding complexity.

 

The lots were fermented separately and after the final blend was chosen, the wines were racked into oak barrels for additional aging.  There were 1084 cases produced and the wine has a suggested retail price of $22.

 

This wine has 15.7% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright, deep ruby color.  The familiar smelling nose has brambly berries, mocha, dusty minerals, candied cherries, vanilla, spicy oak, licorice and black pepper.  This has a full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  Spicy berries, pepper and dusty minerals pop out first on the palate with vanilla and mocha coming in later.  The finish has good length with some spicy oak coming in late.  This is on the young side but is still very tasty.  This is a steal if you can grab it for under $20 a bottle.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

 

2011 Treasure Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2007 Core Elevation Sensation Alta Mesa Vineyard

2004 Château La Vieille Cure

 

 

It was a light week, wine wise.  My wife was was hurt in a fall so I had to pick up my work around the house.  I also didn’t like drinking wine in front of her when she couldn’t enjoy a glass due to the pain killers.

 

 

2011 Treasure Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – $28.49

This is a new purchase from this “négociant’ label.  The “winery” buys excess wine from traditional wineries, bottles it, and turns over their inventory fairly quickly.  The wineries are generally eager to sell off their unwanted wines so Treasure Hunter gets the juice at a VERY big discount.  One of the usual stipulations is that the source of the grapes/wine remains anonymous.  In this case, the name of the original winery was “accidently” slipped, so I know who supposedly made the wine, but I’m sworn to secrecy.

 

Here is the info from Treasure Hunter’s website:

Occasionally we find a wine that is so special, it deserves its own label. This is one of those wines. It is a cult wine from a cult winery it just happens to cost a whole lot less. Lucky you.

 

If the source is accurate, the winery produces two cabernet sauvignons, the least expensive costs north of $100 a bottle.  The other cabernet produced by the winery has a community average cost on Cellar Tracker of well over $300 a bottle.

 

This wine is available for sell on the Treasure Cellars website for $45.00 a bottle, click here for more info.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The very inviting nose has cassis, dark bittersweet chocolate, dried herbs, eucalyptus, cherries, minerals, cigar box, and some “Rutherford Dust” (if this is from Rutherford).  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  On the palate big cassis and eucalyptus grab hold eventually allowing cherries, dark chocolate, and some dried herbs enter into the mix.  The finish has very good length with a very slight green herbaceous element creeping in on the back end.  This is extremely young and has a very bright future.  Even at this early stage in its development, the wine has impeccable balance.  I’m sure with some cellar time the slight green element will integrate.  This rating is totally out the window in another couple years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Core Elevation Sensation Alta Mesa Vineyard – $27.73

I’ve been a big fan of the wines Dave Corey produces for quite a while.  These highly expressive wines are top notch and very reasonably priced.  Most of the wines are delicious blends.  In this case, Elevation Sensation is a blend of 62% Grenache and 38% Mourvedre from Santa Barbara County.  I highly recommend tracking down some Core wines and settling in for a couple hours of pleasure.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color.  The big and flamboyant nose is full of kirsch, minerals, incense, blackberries, eucalyptus, earthy underbrush, dark bittersweet chocolate, and warm baking spices.  This has medium to full body, moderate ripe tannins and nice acidity.  This is “stacked” on the palate with layers of fruit, spice, minerals, and earthiness that slowly peal away revealing the next layer.  The finish has very nice length with some eucalyptus, dark chocolate and cherries closing the show.  This is in a prime drinking window now and should hold for a couple of years.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2004 Château La Vieille Cure – $15.83

The local wine store brought this in as an e-mail offer to their mailing list.  I decided under $16 a bottle for a case was just too hard to pass, so I grabbed a case.  My first bottle had something wrong and just tasted horrible.  It didn’t have an easily identifiable flaw, it was just bad.  I opened a second bottle a couple weeks later, and it was decent.  A third bottle about a year ago was pretty much like the first bottle.  I don’t know the exact break down of the grapes in this vintage, but this wine has historically been around 74% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby to purple color.  The nose has dried herbs, cigar box, minerals, baking spices, black cherries, a minty note and a fair amount of earthiness.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  On the palate the wine is lean and tart with very little fruit and an overload of acidity on the front end, on the back end a touch of fruit makes a brief appearance before being beaten into submission by the overbearing acidity.  The finish shows some dried herbs and earthiness.  This makes three of four bottles that does not merit a score.

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

 

2010 The Lucky Country Shiraz

2009 Atalon Cabernet Sauvignon

2011 Uccelliera Rosso di Montalcino

2008 Long Shadows Wineries Chester-Kidder

 

 

 

2010 The Lucky Country Shiraz – $9.90

It’s been a while since I opened a bottle of this wine.  When I opened one not long after picking up a case at my local store, the wine was decent, but seemed to be a bit below the previous vintage.  I felt a bit of cellar time should help the wine settle down a bit.  It’s time to check in to see how it is doing.  This is made by the team behind Two Hands, and the general thought is this is the declassified fruit from Two Hands.

 

Winery history

The Lucky Country Wines offers quality wines packaged with iconic Australian photography, representing the lively spirit of Australia.

 

The name is taken from the 1964 book, The Lucky Country, written by social critic Donald Horne and was originally written to be ironic, as an indictment of 1960’s Australia.  Donald believed that the economic success of 60’s Australia was derived from luck rather than skill.

 

But over the years, this phrase has taken on new meaning and is now proudly used by many to describe what is great about Australia.

 

The Lucky Country Wines is the result of hard work combined with vision, creative acumen and business ‘smarts’, and maybe just a little bit of luck to help bring it all together.  The wines are already proving a hit, available in several markets around the world and with the brand continuing to grow every day.

 

The Lucky Country Wines were created to deliver great value, stylish wines to drinkers at a reasonable price.  People everywhere can now share and enjoy the experience of what makes Australia the Lucky Country.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The very Australian nose features blackberries, blueberries, black pepper, vanilla, baking spices, and wild flowers.  This has a medium body with soft, ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate the big fruit and peppery spice carries the load with a touch of chocolate and earthiness in the background.  The finish has decent length with sweet berries and spice.  This carries a touch of residual sugar but not enough to really stick out.  This would be a nice holiday or party wine.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Atalon Cabernet Sauvignon – $22.79

This is a blend of 78.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13.3% Merlot, 5.2% Malbec and 2.6% Petite Verdot.  From these Napa Valley vineyards, 51.5% Round Pond-Rutherford, 21.5% Stagecoach-Atlas Peak, 13.3% Keyes-Howell Mountain, 5.2% Huichica-Napa Carneros, 4.1% Bosché-Rutherford, 2.9% Veeder Peak-Mt. Veeder, 1.5% Potelle-Mt. Veeder.

 

The wine has an alcohol level of 14.8% and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The slightly shy nose has cassis, baking spices, cherries, roasted leafy herbs, roses, licorice and a touch of mint.  This has medium body, moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate berries and cherries add nice sweetness and are balanced by roasted herbs and spice.  The finish has nice length with the fruit stepping into the background, allowing the savory elements to shine.  This is on the young side with a touch of oak poking through at times.  If you are not a fan of oak let this sleep for a couple years, other wise, open a bottle and enjoy it after it gets a bit of air.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Uccelliera Rosso di Montalcino – $18.99

This 100% Sangiovese comes from vineyards in Castelnuovo dell’Abate, at elevations of 150-350 metres on well-exposed hillslopes south-east of Montalcino.  The wine was aged in a mix of Slavonian and French oak barrels for a minimum of 8 months followed by a minimum of 3 months of bottle aging before it is released.

 

This wine has 14.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light ruby red color.  The intriguing nose has cherries, dusty minerals, dried thyme, baking spices, raspberry, leather and a touch of underbrush.  This is barely medium body with soft to moderate tannins and very good acidity.  Cherries, minerals and spice initially take hold on the palate with dried thyme and leather coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with just a touch of earthiness entering the picture.  This is on the young side but already showing very nicely.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Long Shadows Wineries Chester-Kidder – $28.49

The local wine store brought in a few of the Long Shadow wines from past vintages and offered them at close-out prices via their e-mail list.  With a suggested retail price around $50, the price was almost 50% off.  This vintage is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Syrah, 6% Petit Verdot, and 4% Cabernet Franc from assorted vineyards in Washington.

 

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The comforting nose has cassis, minerals, cedar, blackberries, baking spices, tobacco, dark chocolate, leather, dried herbs and dried wildflowers.  This has a medium body with moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate spicy cassis and minerals jump out first with cedar, dried herbs and a dried floral note coming in later.  The finish has very good length with dark chocolate and leather coming in to add even more complexity.  This is an outstanding effort from this unusual blend.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

 

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)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

 

2010 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico

2006 Jean Edwards Cellars Syrah Carneros

2009 Sandler Wine Company Zinfandel Buck Hill Vineyard

2007 Wild Hog Vineyard Petite Sirah Cache Creek

2006 Carlisle Syrah Papa’s Block

 

 

 

2010 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico – $18.59

This has been a favorite since a friend suggested I give it a try.

 

80% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 5% Syrah in the 2010 vintage, Isole e Olena’s Chianti Classico is probably the wine (along with the 100% Sangiovese Isole e Olena “Cepparello”) for which the Isole e Olena winery has become best known.  Fermented in stainless steel tanks, this 2010 Isole e Olena Chianti was then matured for one year in primarily older oak (the typical capacity of the barrels used was 4000 litres).

 

This wine has 14.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice ruby red color. The very enjoyable nose has cherries, plums, baking spices, dried herbs, violets, and a touch of earthy underbrush. This wine has medium body with ripe tannins and very good acidity. On the palate the wine has nice tart red fruit and spice up front with some earthy elements coming in later adding depth and complexity. The finish has good length with the tart fruit, spices, and earthiness held together nicely by the acidity. If you can find this for under $20, stock up.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Jean Edwards Cellars Syrah Carneros

I opened this bottle to sip during Karen’s visit to host #winechat on Twitter.  This is a blend of 85% Las Madres Syrah, 10% White Hawk Syrah and 5% Eaglepoint Ranch Petite Sirah.

 

This wine has 14.2% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color.  The captivating nose has blackberries, cherries, freshly cracked black peppercorns, cedar, dark chocolate, dried herbs, dusty minerals and dried wildflowers.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate blackberries, black pepper and minerals jump out first with cedar and dried herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with dark chocolate and tart cherries adding nice depth and complexity.  This is a very nice cooler climate, Syrah that seems to be just entering a nice drinking window.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Sandler Wine Company Zinfandel Buck Hill Vineyard – $30.00

I grab a few bottles from just about every Sandler release.  They produce several very good, nicely priced wines; I highly recommend checking them out.

 

This wine has 15.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light to medium ruby red color.  The inviting nose has cherries, raspberries, white pepper, smoke, dried herbs and a touch of cedar.  This has a medium body with soft to moderate tannins and tart acidity.  On the palate bright red fruit and white pepper grab hold immediately with some dried herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with cedar and a touch of dark chocolate entering the picture.  This isn’t your typical zinfandel with ripe fruit and black pepper; this is more subtle and layered.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Wild Hog Vineyard Petite Sirah Cache Creek – $9.50

A few years ago the local wine store ran this wine as an e-mail special.  It was a pretty easy decision to grab a case for well under $10 a bottle.  How often can you find a single vineyard Petite at that price?  I don’t know the specifics but according to the winery’s website this was the last vintage for the wine.  I know for a fact they made some in the 2008 vintage, since I have a case in my cellar.  At least I bought a case but I have opened a few bottles.

 

This has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The very masculine nose is loaded with blackberries, fresh ground black pepper, smoke, vanilla, eucalyptus, cherries, and wild flowers.  This has a fairly full body, moderate to solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  On the palate the peppery berries kick off the show with some smoke and vanilla coming in on the back end. A faint herbal note peaks out on the fairly long finish as well as some earthiness.  This tastes marvelous today and should hold for at least a couple more years.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Carlisle Syrah Papa’s Block – $37.00

The grapes for this wine were picked late in the season, October 31^st.  The wine included 40% whole clusters and used indigenous fermentation.  The total production was only 110 cases of wine.

 

This has 14.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The exotic nose has black plums, blackberries, olive tapenade, Asian spices, charcoal, bacon fat, dark chocolate, charred meat and candied violets.  This has a full body with moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate dark fruit, olive and charred meat jump out first with spices and dark chocolate coming in on the back end.  The finish is very long and nicely layered.  This is in a prime drinking window and should hold for a few more years.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard

2010 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County

2007 Villa Creek Avenger

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard

2007 Core Ground Around

N.V. Nicolas Maillart Champagne Marie-Hanze Eaux Belle Brut

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch

 

 

 

2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard – $19.94

The owner/winemaker is Cody Wright, the son of well known and popular Oregon winemaker/owner Ken Wright.  This was a new winery to me when the local wine store had an e-mail special on the wine.  In my opinion, any time you can get hold of a good Pinot Noir for under $20, you buy.

 

The wine has 13.5% alcohol and is sealed with a twist off closure.

 

Winery history

Purple Hands winery strives for the expression of genuine inherent terroir of soil and grape.  We search for ideal moments of ripeness and complexity balanced with authentic strength of soil character.

 

Our wines are windows into dynamic breadths of terroir, extracting and unlocking a code of sweet and savory from our rich Oregon soil.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright red color with a slight ruby tint.  The soft and nuanced nose has black cherries, raspberries, fresh flowers, baking spices and subtle earthiness.  This is medium body at most, with racy acidity, and soft but persistent tannins.  The silky palate has tart, juicy fruit, spice, and a bit of earthiness which carries through on the slightly short finish.  This is a nice, light weight style of Pinot with juicy acidity and a touch of earthiness and spice to balance out the fruit.  This is a nice change up from the broad shouldered California Pinots.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County – $18.00

This vintage uses Zinfandel grapes from Russian River Valley 44%, Sonoma Valley 24% Dry Creek Valley 17%.  15% Petite Sirah was blended in for structure and complexity.  There were 390 cases produced.

 

This has 15.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The deep and dark nose has brambly berries, black pepper, melted licorice, dried herbs, cedar, tobacco, earthy underbrush, dried flowers and dark chocolate.  This has a full body with solid tannins and good acidity.  Spicy, peppery berries coat the palate with dried herbs and earthy elements coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with more black pepper and berries seeming to linger forever.  This does show a touch of alcohol on the nose and on the finish but it is barely noticeable and does not detract from the overall experience.  (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.

 

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)

 

 

 

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard – $45.00

Loring produces some of my favorite Pinot Noirs made in California and their wine from the Clos Pepe Vineyard is one of my favorite they produce.  To me, this wine always has the rich and lush fruit that is the “house style” for Loring wines and has plenty of acidity and tannins to support the body and depth usually in this wine.  For a wine of this quality, the price actually represents a nice value for a higher end, single vineyard, Pinot from California.

 

Winery history

My name is Brian Loring and my obsession is Pinot Noir.  OK, I’m also pretty crazy about Champagne, but that’s another story.  While in college, I worked at a wine shop in Hollywood (Victor’s), where one of the owners was a Burgundy fanatic.  So, my very first experiences with Pinot Noir were from producers like Domaine Dujac, Henri Jayer, and DRC.  Needless to say, I found subsequent tasting safaris into the domestic Pinot Noir jungle less than satisfying.  It wasn’t until I literally stumbled into Calera (I tripped over a case of their wine in the store room) that I found a California Pinot Noir that I could love.  But it would be quite a while before I found someone else that lived up to the standard that Josh Jensen had established.  I eventually came to understand and enjoy Pinots from Williams Selyem, Chalone, and Sanford, but I really got excited about California Pinot Noir when I met Norm Beko from Cottonwood Canyon at an Orange County Wine Society tasting.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color.  The very nice nose has cherries, baking spices, raspberries, underbrush, minerals, licorice and a touch of smoke.  This has medium to full body, moderate, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate the wine is rich and lush with juicy fruit but with plenty of savory elements adding considerable depth and complexity.  The finish is long and very flavorful with the fruit, spice, and subtle earthiness lingering seemingly forever.  This is outstanding today, but will last at least a few more years in the cellar.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Core Ground Around – $20.59

Core is quickly becoming one of my “go to” wineries when I want something a little different.  Dave Corey is making several straight varietal wines that are outstanding, but he shines with his blends, like this one.  Most of these blends are along the standard lines like Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, but they also make unique and distinctive blends.  This wine is a blend of predominantly Tempranillo with Grenache and Syrah.  Even the Tempranillo isn’t from one single vineyard; it comes from two separate vineyards, Santa Barbara Highlands and Laetitia Vineyards.

 

This is a blend of 41% Tempranillo from Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard, 23% Tempranillo from Laetitia Vineyard, 18% Grenache from Alta Mesa Vineyard and 18% Syrah from Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard.

 

This wine has 14.9% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

The Winery

Dave Corey’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Biology from San Jose State University and a master’s degree in Entomology and Plant Physiology from Kansas State University, which was completed in 1995. Prior to entering the wine industry in 1996 , Dave worked in Salinas and the Central Valley in agricultural fields including cole crops, cotton, almonds, citrus, walnuts, kiwi, table grapes, apples and stone fruit. His first position in the wine industry was as a Pest Control Advisor with Cambria Winery and Vineyards and later at Kendall-Jackson Vineyards of Santa Barbara County.

 

Dave left Kendall Jackson Vineyards in 1999 to begin Vital Vines, a viticultural company providing technical support for vineyard property owners, vineyard managers and winemaking personnel in the promotion of sustainable agriculture. He has worked with clients that include Laetitia, Barnwood, Beckman, Melville, Stolpman, Gainey, Zaca Mesa, Sea Smoke, Le Bon Climat, Sine Qua Non, Rideau, Carhartt, Rusack, Westerly, Fiddlestix, Vogelzang, Andrew Murray, Evergreen, Arita Hills and Royal Oaks.

 

With a major commitment and a second mortgage, Dave gradually decreased his vineyard consulting work to focus on vineyard sourcing, winemaking duties and winery direct sales for CORE wine company which he started in 2001 with his wife, Becky. Dave passionately continues working in the same capacity today in addition to several new wine projects with family members. He can also be found pouring wine for customers at the CORE wine company tasting room in Old Orcutt, California.

 

Much more information about Dave, the winery and their wines is available on their website by clicking here.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The inviting nose has blackberries, dried cherries, dusty minerals, warm baking spices, licorice, dried herbs, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, eucalyptus and some subtle earthiness.  This has medium to full body, moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate nice blackberry and cherry supply good sweetness up front with the minerals, spice, licorice and coffee coming in later, adding depth and complexity.  The finish is fairly long with the fruit and spice carrying the load with the eucalyptus making a nice closing appearance.  This still tastes young and may improve down the road.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

N.V. Nicolas Maillart Champagne Marie-Hanze Eaux Belle Brut – $29.99

Over the last year we’ve gone from not really being big bubbly fans to actively building a nice collection in the cellar.  This wine is a total unknown, I grabbed a couple bottles from a Garagiste Wine offer but there are no Cellar Tracker notes on the wine.

 

This wine is a blend of 60% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.

 

This has 12.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with the usual sparkling wine natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright yellow to straw color with abundant persistent pinpoint bubbles.  The very enticing nose has green apples, freshly baked biscuits, minerals, lemon zest and orange blossoms.  Tart apples, minerals and lemon zest grab hold initially, slowly allowing yeasty notes and a floral element to slip into the picture.  The finish has good length and leaves your mouth watering for another sip.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso Vineyard – $39.00

Morgan sources the grapes for this wine from the same block his father used for his sought after Ravenswood Monte Rosso Zin.  This famous vineyard on the Sonoma side of Mt Veeder was planted in 1886.

 

This wine was fermented via native yeasts and was aged in 35% new French oak from four Burgundian coopers.

 

This wine has 14.4% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The intoxicating nose has brambly berries, plums, dark chocolate, dusty minerals, black pepper, dried herbs, dried wildflowers and a hint of eucalyptus.  This has full body, moderate to solid tannins, a creamy texture and good acidity.  Berries, plums and minerals thoroughly coat your palate slowly allowing black pepper and dried herbs to enter the picture.  The long, lingering finish adds a dried floral note as well as a touch of eucalyptus.  For such a young wine, this is drinking marvelously right now.  This one can be opened now or left in the cellar for a decade.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch – $22.00

I joined the Bedrock mailing list a few years ago to get access to the red wines they were producing.  Even though I really like those reds, I love their white wines.  In my opinion, Morgan Twain-Peterson is currently producing some of the best white wines coming out of California and selling them at killer prices.

 

The wine has 13.4% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright straw color with glints of green and gold.  The nose is a fresh and refreshing, full of apples, white peaches, stony minerals, citrus zest, eucalyptus, fresh cut grass, with a nice floral note.  This is light to medium body with crisp, citrusy acidity.  This is bright and very lively with the fruit, citrus, and herbal notes taking turns enticing the palate.  The finish is fairly long with the eucalyptus making an appearance to lend a savory element to the fruit and citrus.  This is in a real nice place right now, but should hold for another year, maybe longer.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

Each week I pick out one wine to highlight as my wine of the week.  This wine may be an outstanding wine, a great value or just something very interesting.

 

 

 

Overview

I’ve been actively buying and trying every Oregon Pinot Noir that shows up on the local wine store’s shelf.  This was a new one for me when it showed up a few weeks ago.  With a price of just a touch over $20, this was also an easy purchase. Oregon Pinot Noirs are a great alternative to the bigger bodied versions coming out of California.

 

 

The Winery

When you don’t have a chateau or castello or even a babbling brook, it can be hard to name your winery. We tossed around a few catchy names, but none of them were as timeless as the single thing we started with — our name.

 

It was good enough for the dairy owned by our family for three generations and it suited us just fine. When we started thinking about the label, we knew we wanted a design crafted with classic elements. And in looking for an image to anchor the label we were intrigued by a cigar box that had belonged to Tyson’s grandfather, Kelly. While it now held photographs rather than cigars, there was this keyhole. So we took the box over to our friend Ben Burch, an animator and fine artist, and he whipped up a few sketches.

 

We had found our crest.

 

 

We make the wines at the August Cellars coop winemaking facility, and we get this question all the time: what’s a winemaking coop?

 

Our winemaking coop is a state-of-the-art gravity flow winery. We even have a wind turbine (the first in Oregon wine country) that provides about 65% of the power needed at the winery. We “share” the winemaking equipment (hoppers, destemmer, bottling line, labeler, forklifts, etc.) with five other wineries.

 

All winemaking is done independently and we have separate underground barrel rooms where we age all the wines. We’d love to show you around, so be sure to make an appointment and visit us at the winery!

 

 

 

2012 Crowley Pinot Noir – $21.37

This wine uses grapes from four dry-farms vineyards, Tuckwilla Vineyard (44%), Four Winds Vineyard (35%), Gehrts Vineyard (10.5%) and Laurel Hood Vineyard (10.5%).  The Gehrts and Tuckwilla vineyards are in the Dundee Hill AVA, Four Winds is in McMinnville and Laurel Hood is in the Chehalem Mountains AVA.

 

The grapes were harvested from October 5 to October 10.  Most grapes were de-stemmed but about 5% whole cluster were used.  After a 10 day cold soak, the wine was underwent a “native fermentation” in tank for 20 days.  The finished wine was aged in oak barrels, 10% to 15% new, for 15 months.  Some barrels were racked once the others were not racked.

 

The total production was 400 cases.  The wine has a suggested retail price of $24.

 

The wine has 13.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark ruby color, considerably darker than most Oregon Pinot Noirs.  The spellbinding nose has black cherries, white pepper, crushed stone minerals, mint, baking spices, raspberries, candied violets, with hints of licorice, dried herbs and underbrush.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate minerals and white pepper are joined with darker fruit on the front end with spices, dried herbs and subtle earthiness coming in later.  The finish has very nice length with line balance between the fruit and savory elements.  I’d love to stash a few bottles of this in the cellar for a couple years, it could be a real stunner with some cellar time.  For now, give it some air and taste the potential.  (92 pts)

 

 

Closing thoughts

Obviously, since this is my wine of the week, I highly recommend tracking down this wine.  The great price would make this a good candidate to buy a few bottles so you can follow its evolution over the next few years.

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

2008 Anthill Farms Syrah Windsor Oaks Vineyard

2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Old Vine

2007 Beresan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley

1994 Theo Schmitz-Schwaab Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese

2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Ode to Lulu Old Vine Rosé

2003 La Carraia Fobiano Umbria IGT

 

 

 

2008 Anthill Farms Syrah Windsor Oaks Vineyard – $18.00

Anthill Farms likes to make a “one off” wine.  In 2005, they made a Syrah with grapes from the Windsor Oaks Vineyard that turned out so well, it was quickly made part of their lineup.  This is a classic cool climate Syrah that shows tart acidity and good savory elements.  The vineyard is only 10 miles from the coast and the grapes struggle to ripen in this area, resulting in longer “hang times”.  This is not a fruit forward, fruit driven, fruit bomb.

 

This has 14.2% 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 expressive nose has blackberries, cherries, warm baking spices, dried herbs, freshly cracked black pepper, dark chocolate and crushed stone minerals.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate spices and black pepper join the crushed berries on the front end with minerals and dried herbs coming in later.  The finish has very good length with dark chocolate and a candied floral note entering the picture.  This still seems to be on the young side but is opening nicely with some air.  This will easily last through the end of the decade.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Old Vine – $22.50

Morgan Twain-Peterson has followed the lead of Carlisle’s Mike Officer, make very good fines from old vines and sell them for great prices.  I’m not sure of the status of Bedrock’s mailing list, but I recommend either getting on the list or accepting a spot on their waiting list.  Besides very good red wines, Bedrock produces some truly outstanding white wines.

 

This has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The very open and expressive nose has brambly berries, plums, warm baking spices, vanilla, minerals, dried flowers, white pepper and a touch of dark bittersweet chocolate.  This has a medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  Brambly berries, plums and spice initially grab the palate with white pepper, vanilla and minerals breaking through on the back end.  The finish has nice length with dark chocolate and some earthiness coming into the picture.  This is showing very nicely, full of rich fruit and spice.  I remember an earlier bottle showing some excess acidity, either there was an issue with that bottle or there is a bit of bottle variation.  (92 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 lat 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)

 

 

 

1994 Theo Schmitz-Schwaab Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese – $29.83

We are BIG fans of nicely aged German Rieslings.  The sugary sweetness these wines show in their youth melds with the citrusy acidity over the years to form a magical elixir that becomes a rich wine with just enough acidity on the back end to leave you grabbing the glass for another sip.

 

This has 8% alcohol by volume and the bottle was sealed with a natural cork.

 

Winery history

As is usual for a lot of the smaller, European wineries, not a lot of information seems to be available on the internet.  I also can’t find anything on CellarTracker for this winery since the 1995 vintage.  This leads me to think it no longer exists.  I can recite Jon Rimmerman’s (from Garagiste Wine) silky prose, but I don’t want this to sound like a sales pitch.  All I will say is, if you like older German Rieslings that have generally been in perfect condition, at really nice prices, check out http://garagiste.com/ and sign up for the list.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright golden yellow color.  The inviting nose has apples, honey, petrol, orange blossoms, stony minerals, lemon zest and a hint of white pepper.  This has medium body with mouthwatering acidity and nice richness.  On the palate apples dipped in honey, lemon zest and minerals jump out initially with orange blossoms and white pepper coming in later.  The finish has very good length with orange blossoms entering the picture.  The wine shows outstanding balance between the citrusy acidity and sweetness.  For 20 years old this still tastes young and vibrant.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Ode to Lulu Old Vine Rosé – $19.00

Since the initial release of this wine, it has been a house favorite on warm days.  Past vintages were mostly old vine Mourvedre and the varietal was listed on the label.  With this vintage, some old vine Grenache was added to the Mourvedre and Carignane.  I assume the percentage of Mourvedre fell below the threshold for including it on the label or the name change was to allow even greater flexibility in coming years.

 

This has 12.3% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.

 

From the winery:

In our quest to continually one-up the previous vintage of this wine we stumbled headlong into the rugged terrain of Mendocino.  Don’t get me wrong, I really like the 2012, where I feel we finally captured a trace of ethereal lightness and perfume while maintaining the sturdy stock of Mourvedre at the wines base.  However, I wonder if perhaps the 2012 was just a trace too delicate.  We used more Carignane from the sandy, soft soils of Contra Costa County for that wine so my theory was that we needed to find soils with a bit more edge in them.  Though the base of 2013 wine is composed around the ancient plantings of Mourvedre at Bedrock Vineyard and Pagani Ranch, the rest of the blend is composed of dry-farmed Grenache planted in the 1880’s at Gibson Ranch in McDowell Valley and Carignane from the 1950’s planted on soils that remind me of Pauillac in Ukiah.  As always, all the lots were picked early and all except the Grenache Gris were whole-cluster pressed.  This, I think, though I am sure I will continue to refine, is the best Ode to Lulu to date.  Fresh, perfumed, lifted, bright, clean, dense, and delicious.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright salmon pink color.  The refreshing nose has strawberries, stony minerals, cherries, orange zest, Asian spices and a hint of smoke.  This has medium body with good acidity and just a hint of sweetness.  On the palate tart red fruit, minerals and spice jump out first with orange zest coming in on the back end.  The crisp and clean finish has good length with nice balance between the crisp acidity and sweet fruit.  This is an outstanding bottle for a light meal on a warm day.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2003 La Carraia Fobiano Umbria IGT – $19.99

This wine is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Umbria region of Italy.  The wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in a mix of old and new oak barrels.

 

This wine has 14.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The classic nose has cassis, tobacco, leather, cedar, cherries, baking spices, cocoa powder and minerals.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the fruit and cedar jump out initially with baking spices, cocoa powder and cherries coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length with a bit of earthiness coming into the picture.  The tannins do get a touch chalky on the finish.  This is probably as good as it will get with this one, which isn’t too bad.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2014 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!