2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard

2006 Two Hands Brave Faces

2010 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico

2009 Novy Family Wines Four Mile Creek

 

 

 

 

2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard – $19.94

 

My comments

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.  This sat in the cellar for almost 2 whole days, so it’s time to try one.

 

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, 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)

 

 

 

2006 Two Hands Brave Faces – $17.09

 

My comments

Two Hands is one of my wife’s favorite wineries and ranks pretty high on my list.  This is a winery not afraid to allow their grapes to get fully ripe before picking.  Some of their wines get awfully close to the over ripe and syrupy side of the line, but most of the time they don’t cross that line.  Remember, ripe fruit is not a flaw in a bottle wine.

 

I was able to grab a case of this wine from my local wine store during a blow out sale a year or two ago.  To me, this was an absolute no brainer buy for a touch over $17 a bottle.  This is 65% Shiraz, 35% Grenache and 100% BarossaValley.  This is the type of wine that made Australia famous before the mass produced “critter wines” did their best to kill that reputation.

 

Winery history (Core Values)

Quality without compromise is central to the Two Hands philosophy, driving all the decisions from fruit and oak selection to packaging and promotion.

 

We strive to differentiate ourselves; to be unique, fun and innovative in our business approach while maintaining a high degree of professionalism and integrity.

 

Our wines are made by a process of barrel classification – selecting the very best barrels for the Flagship range followed by Garden Series then our Picture Series.  This is achieved by sourcing the best parcels of fruit available to us from six premium regions within Australia.

 

We handle every parcel of fruit, however small, separately from crushing through to fermentation and oak maturation to ensure complexity and personality in the finished wines.

 

Fruit will be the primary feature of all our wines, with oak playing a supporting role.

 

Much more information available at:  http://www.twohandswines.com/

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The very outgoing and friendly nose features blackberries, Asian spices, black pepper, dying charcoal embers, cherry, vanilla, blueberries, and bittersweet chocolate.  This is fairly full bodied with ripe tannins and good acidity.  The palate is loaded with juicy berries, spice, and pepper.  The finish is fairly long with some dark chocolate adding a nice element to the spicy, peppery, berries.  This is drinking very nicely and should hold in the cellar for at least another year or two.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico – $18.59

 

My comments

This wine made my “Best Buys” list for 2012, finishing at number 8.  To see the whole list see my post, Top 10 QPR Wines of 2012.

 

Even though I do like a “regular” Chinti, in my opinion, you need at least a Chianti Classico if you’re having pasta with a meat sauce, which is on our menu for this evening.

 

Winery history

Many of the wineries in the Chianti Region double as tourist attractions.  Not Paolo De Marchi’s Isole e Olena; when you turn right at the main gate and drive by the burnished steel fermentation tanks, you will come to a muddy square where you may find someone working on a wagon with an arc welder.

 

“We don’t have time for tourism,” says Paolo.  “It would distract us from our wines.”  His dedication is our gain; Isole e Olena’s wines are superb.  In addition to Chianti Classico, there is Cepparello, a pure Sangiovese of towering complexity and finesse, and a breathtaking Vinsanto.  The winery also produces a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Chardonnay, and L’Eremo, a Syrah.

 

Syrah is an ancient grape from the RhoneValley, which Paolo originally intended to use to add color and depth to his Chianti Classico (he feels that the Cabernet used in most Tuscan wineries can overwhelm Sangiovese).  However, he has since decided that the best way to improve Chianti is by careful selection of Sangiovese (Chianti’s principal grape), and is working to that end.  Meanwhile, L’Eremo placed fourth in a world-wide blind tasting of Syrah, after three wines from the RhoneValley.

 

Isole e Olena is also worth visiting if you like to talk wines.  Though Paolo has dropped out of the Consorzio del Marchio Storico (formerly Gallo Nero) for philosophical reasons, he firmly believes in the Chianti Classico region, and his opinions are the result of much thought.  For example, there is a movement to establish extra-high quality subzones within the Chianti Classico region.  “Since one of these zones includes Isole e Olena, it would be good for me,” he says with a grin.  “But so long as wineries can double their quality by hiring new enologists, I’m against it — it’s too soon.”

 

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 is barely 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)

 

 

 

2009 Novy Family Wines Four Mile Creek – $9.50

 

My comments

Perennially a value priced favorite.  In this vintage, it seems to have a bit more oomph than most vintages.  Perhaps there was a surplus of very good grapes from some of the better vineyards or some grapes headed for single vineyard wines were declassified.  Either way, we’re the winners.  This is a jammy, fruity blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah and Nebbiolo.

 

Winery history

Our winemaking goal is to produce wines that best capture the distinct flavor and character of a given vineyard site.  To that end, we focus on sites that provide us with exceptional fruit.  We are fanatical in our protection of the vineyard flavor and are determined not to let any overt winemaking components mute the personality of an individual site.

 

In the cellar, we vinifiy each wine separately by block, clone and barrel type in order to maximize the individual components and provide greater complexity to the final blend.  This approach also provides us with much more flexibility in crafting a wine using only the best and most harmonious lots.

 

Given that the majority of our wines are single vineyard offerings, it is critical for us to maintain the site’s individual character in order to provide you with a truly diverse offering of wines.  To that end:

 

• We believe in minimal intervention, “gentle” winemaking.  In other words, we let the wine make itself.  We do not want to do anything to the wine that isn’t absolutely necessary.
• We believe in bottling our wines unfiltered and unfined whenever possible, convinced as we are that fining and filtering strip wines of flavor and character.
• We believe that the best wines express their origins.  Our goal is not to produce the world’s best Syrah or Zinfandel but rather to produce the very best wine from a given site.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The easy going nose has blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, vanilla, wild flowers, and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium body, soft, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  The wine provides a mouthful of jammy fruit with some earthiness and spicy oak coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length with the spicy, earthy fruit.  Not a lot of complexity but a very tasty week night wine.  Offers an outstanding “quality to price ratio” if you can find it for under $10, like I did.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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:

 

 

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!

 

 

These reviews are based on samples provided by the winery or another company acting on their behalf.  Prices noted are the Suggested Retail Prices.

 

Over the last month, I have had the extreme pleasure of tasting through a dozen different wines from the Steven Kent and La Rochelle wineries.  Every wine has been outstanding and distinctive.  These aren’t the cookie-cutter wines being offered by some of the larger wineries in the world.  Every wine shows the distinct terroir of the vintage, region, and vineyard from where they originated.  Generally these are wines that taste good now with some aeration, but have the balance and all the key ingredients to age and improve with extended cellar time.

 

The wines, though above some people’s normal price points, are reasonably priced based on their level of quality.  These are small, limited production wines, most are produced in quantities under 100 cases.

 

I highly recommend these wines.  The winery also has a number of wine clubs that can guarantee you an allocation of the wines at discounted prices and offer other benefits.  Visit the website for more information.

 

 

 

The Steven Kent Winery Was Born.

In 2005, Steven joined forces with the Ghielmetti family who owned a spectacular vineyard site about three miles east of the winery.  The site was planted to Bordeaux and Rhône varieties, many of which he used to make small-lot releases for his burgeoning wine clubs.  Steven realized in 2007, though, that the farther he went down this path, the further away he’d be from the vision with which he started in the business – to make a single, great, statement wine.

 

Lineage—our Livermore Valley Red Wine—then, is the renaissance of that need to have the effort mean something; for the wine to be a symbol of the passion to create something of great quality, an emblem of one family’s generations-long commitment to the grape.

 

Also in 2005, Steven found an opportunity to close a circle.  His cousins, who had earlier sold the Mirassou brand to Gallo, had started a brand called La Rochelle, named for the town north of Bordeaux from which their progenitor had come to America in 1854.  La Rochelle had an amazingly talented winemaker, Tom Stutz, and a portfolio of wines whose only focus was family vineyard fruit from Monterey.  Steven acquired the brand and brought it and Tom up to Livermore with a new focus on Pinot Noir.  Seven years later, La Rochelle is making some of the best Pinot Noirs (and a newly released, small-lot production focus on Chardonnay) in California.

 

Much more information, links to the wineries, and purchasing information is available at their website.

 

 

Steven has a very nice blog here – Steven’s Blog.

 

 

 

Steven Kent Winery Info

“Steven Kent is producing today’s greatest Livermore Cabernets, wines that hearken back to the valley’s roots as one of California’s best wine regions.” – Wine Enthusiast

 

The Steven Kent Winery was started in 1996 with one mission: to make Cabernet here in the Livermore Valley that rivals in quality the greatest red wines made anywhere in the world.

 

Livermore Valley has a long, dedicated history of growing the “Bordeaux” varietals, and in particular Cabernet Sauvignon.  In the 1880s, pioneering winegrowers began to discover the potential of the Livermore Valley region.  Then, as today, L.V.’s climate and soils closely resemble those of Bordeaux’s famed left bank of the Gironde.  By the turn of the last century, Livermore Valley was already far ahead of its Napa Valley neighbor in specializing in the Bordeaux varieties.  Our goal at Steven Kent is to carry on that tradition.

 

“We have worked joyously and strenuously to know our vineyards; to learn how our fruit expresses itself from those sites; to discover the best winemaking and barrel regimens that translates those grapes into world-class vintages.  We’re very gratified that customers, critics, and collectors alike consider our “historic Cabernet” to be an essential addition to their table, their “best of lists,” and their cellars”.  – Steven Kent Mirassou

 

More information is available at their website.

 

 

La Rochelle Info

Our mission at La Rochelle is a simple one:  to make California’s best, most interesting, most collectable Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

 

My family introduced the Pinot Noir grape to California in the 1850s.  Today, we partner with the state’s most renowned Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vineyards – Garys’. Sleepy Hollow. Rosella’s. Londer. Paraiso. Tondre. Ferrington. Deer Park.  We craft Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown on these famed estates that let the individual vineyard’s terroir, its special sense of place, shine through.

 

My great-great-great grandfather left the French port of La Rochelle one hundred and sixty years ago on a voyage of possibilities.  Our journey at La Rochelle Winery is an equally exciting one:  to discover the best vineyards and translate those exceptional estates into limited releases worthy of our heritage.

 

Steven Kent Mirassou

 

 

La Rochelle Winemaker, Tom Stutz also has a blog – Tom’s Blog.

 

 

Much more information is available on La Rochelle wine at their website.

 

 

 

 

To check availability or to purchase any of these wine or other wines offered by the wineries in the Steven Kent Portfolio, visit their website.

 

 

 

The lineup:

 

 

2009 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Block A – $48.00

 

Wine Information

This 100% Pinot Noir was aged 26 months in 45% new oak and 55% second use.  The barrels were 74% French and 26% American.

 

The vineyard is one of the most northerly sites in the Santa Lucia Highlands.  The vineyard has been a source of fruit to La Rochelle since 2003, and provided fruit to the family’s Mirassou Vineyards label for close to 20 years before that time.  This is generally one of the “bigger” Pinot Noirs produced by the winery.

 

The final alcohol is 14.7% and production was 11 barrels.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby red color.  The very inviting nose has black cherries, raspberries, warmed baking spices, earthy underbrush, a nice smoky element, cola, minerals, fresh wild flowers, and a touch of pine needles.  This has medium body, soft, ripe tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate has a nice helping of darker fruit, spice, and good earthiness.  The wine thins a touch on the finish which is flavorful with nice length.  I think with additional cellar time, the finish will fill out and the wine will develop additional complexity.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Steven Kent Cabernet Sauvignon Livermore Valley – $48.00

 

Wine Information

This is a blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Home Ranch, Ghielmetti Estate, and Folkendt vineyards, as well as a few percent each of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

 

The lots were made and aged separately before being blended about six months prior to release.  The wine spent a total of 24 months in 75% new oak barrels.  The barrels were 52% French, 43% American, and 5% Hungarian.

 

The final alcohol is 14.4%

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color.  The interesting nose has cassis, cedar, Asian spices, tobacco, black olives, dark chocolate, dried herbs, black cherries, and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and good acidity.  The palate has nice fruit and spice up front with olives and earthiness coming in on the back end adding nice depth.  The finish has nice length and leans heavily on the savory elements.  This improved a lot with air; initially there was a green bell pepper element that after a couple hours integrated nicely.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Steven Kent Cabernet Sauvignon Folkendt Vineyard – $65.00

 

Wine Information

There were 82 cases produced of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.  The 4.5 acre vineyard was planted in 1992.

 

The wine was aged 24 months in 100% new French oak barrels.  As with all their red wines, this was bottled without fining or filtration.

 

The final alcohol is 14.6%.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color.  The sexy nose has cassis, cedar, melted licorice, dried herbs, black plums, baking spices, dark chocolate, and some black cherry.  This has medium to full body, solid tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate has solid dark fruit and spice with some dark chocolate and spicy oak in the background.  The finish is long and full of spicy fruit and chocolaty oak.  This really needs a couple years in the cellar to strut its stuff, but tastes nice now with several hours of air.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Steven Kent Malbec Ghielmetti – $50.00

 

Wine Information

The Ghielmetti Vineyard is a touch under 65 acres and is planted to 11 different grapes on 20 distinct blocks.  This Malbec comes from Block 13, which is comprised of 66 rows and 5,940 vines that were grafted over from Petite Sirah in 2006.  This is the only block of Malbec in the vineyard.

 

The four barrels used in this offering were aged in 100% new oak and yielded a total of only 98 cases of wine.

 

The final alcohol is 14.1%.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color.  The exotic nose had plums, blackberries, stony minerals, Asian spices, licorice, cedar, charred meat, cherries, dark chocolate, and a touch of vanilla.  The wine has medium to full body, solid tannins, and good acidity.  The palate has big, bold, spicy fruit up front with very nice savory notes coming in on the back end adding considerable depth.  The finish is long and very flavorful with the spicy fruit, cedar, and a touch of dark chocolate slowly adding some cherry.  Very tasty today with some air, but this could use at least a year or two in the cellar.  This was much better on day two.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

 

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard

2010 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras

2002 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

 

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard – $45.00

 

My comments

My wife just returned from a 10 day business trip, so I wanted to open something really good.  Since Loring is one of both of our favorite wineries, this was an easy choice.  Brian’s Pinot from Garys’ Vineyard is also one of out two favorite vineyard sources he uses.

 

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.

 

I’d made about 3 trips around the booths at the tasting without finding a single good Pinot Noir.  So, being the open minded person that I am (remember I passed him up 3 times), I stopped at the Cottonwood booth.  I was BLOWN away by Norm’s 1990 Santa Maria Pinot Noir.  After a few years of attending every Cottonwood event and asking Norm 10,000 questions about winemaking, he offered to let come learn the process during the ’97 crush.  I checked sugar levels, picked, crushed, punched down, pressed, filled barrels, and generally moved a bunch of stuff around with fork lifts and pallet jacks!  It was the time of my life… I was totally hooked.  And even though I hadn’t planned it, I ended up making two barrels of Pinot Noir.  That was the start of the Loring Wine Company.  What had started out as a dream 15 years earlier was now a reality – I was a winemaker!

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color.  The open and inviting nose has black cherries, warm baking spices, black tea leaves, white pepper, raspberries, dried flowers, minerals, and some earthiness.  This has medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate has a nice blend of tart cherries, sweet raspberries, spices, and subtle earthiness.  The finish is fairly long and again, very flavorful with nice closing acidity holding everything together.  Very tasty today, but no hurry on this one.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras – $16.62

 

My comments

The local wine store recently put this one on the shelf.  A friend who works there insisted I give this one a try.  Since I generally agree with his palate, I grabbed three bottles.  Even though I think it’s still a bit young, it’s a perfect night to try one in case I want to stock up before the store sells out.

 

Winery history

Domaine La Garrigue is set in the heart of the Vacqueyras appellation area (Southern Côtes du Rhône), in the Vaucluse department of France.  The estate buildings are just 2.5 km from the main village, on a plateau called Les Garrigues.

 

The estate was created in 1850, and has always been worked by the same family, spanning 6 generations.  The Bernard family has always worked in respect of tradition, crafting authentic natural wines that are typical of the terroirs they came from.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The warm and relaxing nose has black cherries, blackberries, red raspberries, dried herbs, brined green olives, licorice, minerals, earthy elements, and wild flowers.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate has nice, spicy fruit and olives with a touch of earthiness coming in on the back end.  The finish is a touch clipped when the tannins and acidity kick in.  Let this one sleep for at least a year, preferably two.  This has a lot of upside potential.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2002 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard – $30.00

 

My comments

In my opinion, this is perennially one of the best Napa Cabernets for the price.  This is a cabernet that generally needs a few years of bottle age to fully reach its potential and show its best.  If you get the opportunity to try this wine, jump on it, you can thank me later.

 

Winery history

Napa Valley’s Elyse Winery has two causes for celebration this harvest.  In addition to a stellar looking 2012 vintage in NapaValley, it is the 25th harvest for the winery.

 

It was back in 1987 that Ray and Nancy Coursen crushed 4.5 tons of Zinfandel from the Morisoli Vineyard in Rutherford to craft 286 cases of their first wine.  While the portfolio has grown over the last 25 years, the focus remains on creating vineyard driven wines that pair well with food.  Total production is currently 10,000 cases and the wines are nationally and internationally distributed.

 

Winemaking is cooking without a flame.  Our winemaking philosophy at Elyse in NapaValley is similar to the approach of a great chef who carefully prepares artisan grown ingredients to bring each layer of flavor to the table.  Long term alliances with our growers form the cornerstone to our portfolio of vineyard driven wines that possess an unfaltering affinity for pairing with food.

 

“A meal with wine is dining – it’s a conversation, an event.  It’s what wine is all about.” – Ray Coursen, Winemaker & Owner

 

“This excellent winery continues to carve out a well-deserved reputation for its interesting red wine portfolio.” – Robert M. Parker Jr.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color, with no signs of it being eleven years old.  The very elegant and powerful nose has cassis, dried herbs, tobacco, dusty minerals, melted licorice, warm baking spices, violets, black cherries, and lesser notes of cedar, vanilla, and earthiness.  This has medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  The palate is loaded with rich, juicy berries, dried herbs, and just the right amount of spicy oak.  The very flavorful finish is very long, seeming to linger forever.  The wine is perfectly balanced and in a wonderful place.  It is velvety with no rough edges or out of place or excessive elements.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

 

Grabbed a mixed case at the local wine store.

(3) 2010 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras @ $16.62

(1) 2009 Atalon Cabernet Sauvignon @ $25.36

(6) 2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard @ $19.94

(2) 2010 Isole e Olena Chianti Classico @ $18.59

 

 

 

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 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red

2008 C.G. di Arie Primitivo Block 4 Estate Grown

2006 Powers Syrah Reserve Cougar Vineyard Wahluke Slope

2007 Mitolo Shiraz Jester

 

 

2008 Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red – $13.29

 

My comments

This is a perennial house favorite and best buy.  The blend changes every vintage, but the quality is always in the bottle.  This is always a blend of several grapes that always seems to work.

 

This vintage is a blend of 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 16% Merlot, 7% Cab Franc, 3% Malbec, 3% Sangiovese, 3% Petite Verdot, and 1% Carmenere.

 

Winery history

Whether it’s our highly acclaimed Firehouse Red or one of our limited-production single vineyard reserve blends, Tamarack’s wines offer a delicious expression of Washington vineyards’ style and elegance.

 

When you visit the winery, you won’t find us in a fancy chateau.  Instead you’ll find yourself immersed in the everyday workings of a family-owned winery, racking, blending and bottling wine, in a renovated firehouse located in a World War II Army Air Base.

 

Founded in 1998 by Ron and Jamie Coleman, Tamarack’s first vintage consisted of 300 cases of Merlot.  The goal was to make elegant, balanced, delicious wines and offer them at a fair price.  Years later, and now up to 20,000 cases each year, the focus remains the same. Tamarack Cellars hand-crafts consistently outstanding wines for a great price.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby to maroon color.  The enticing nose has blackberries, smoldering charcoal, vanilla, meat juices, dried herbs, baking spices, licorice, and a bit of earthiness.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  The palate has a nice mix of fruity and savory elements that play well off of each other.  The finish has decent length leaning a bit more on the savory elements.  This is in a very nice drinking window and is a nice change of pace from the bigger, riper California wines.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2008 C.G. di Arie Primitivo Block 4 Estate Grown – $14.24

 

My comments

The local wine store brought this in as part of a sale promotion.  I grabbed several bottles of a few other C. G. di Arie wines, namely their Petite Sirah and red blend called Interlude.  I decided to grab a bottle of this one to fill the case.  This will be my first bottle of this specific wine, but a nice Primitivo for under $15 can take up some space in my cellar anytime.

 

Winery history

As an inventor and new food product developer, Chaim Gur-Arieh spent 35 years preparing himself for the role of winemaker at C.G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery.

 

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Chaim immigrated to Israel as a teenager.  After completing his military service as an officer in a tank division, Chaim studied at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering.  Soon after, Chaim moved to the United States to continue his education at the University of Illinois where he earned a Masters and a Ph.D. in Food Science with minors in Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering.

 

Chaim then joined the Quaker Oats company where he helped develop the breakfast Cereal Cap’n Crunch.  He moved to California to become Director of New Products at Del Monte Corporation where he created an array of new products including “Pudding Cups”, “Gel Cups”, “Yogurt Cups”, etc.  In 1974 Chaim married Elisheva and founded Food Development Corporation, where he developed numerous new products including Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing, Power Bars and Wine Coolers.   In 1980, Chaim merged Food Development Corporation with California Brands Flavors, his newly created flavor company.  Over the next 18 years Chaim transformed California Brands Flavors into a major West Coast flavor company.

 

In 1998, Chaim and Elisheva sold their flavor company to Mane & Fils, an international flavor company and went on to pursue their life-long dream of creating world class wines.   In his new role as Winemaker, Chaim developed his innovative “Dual Compartment Submerged Cap Fermentation Tank” (patent pending) which he uses to craft his delicious red wines.  Chaim’s wines are highly extracted, soft and elegant – a perfect match to fine cuisine.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a touch lighter than ruby red.  The comforting nose had brambly berries, baking spices, black pepper, cherries, dark chocolate, fresh wild flowers, and a bit of earthiness.  The wine has medium body, light tannins, and very nice acidity.  The palate has tart cherries, spicy, peppery, berries and some earthiness.  The finish is a touch short but shows nice red fruit and spice.  Not a big, bold, style of wine, but very enjoyable on a week night.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Powers Syrah Reserve Cougar Vineyard Wahluke Slope – $14.24

 

My comments

This is another wine the local wine store brought in as part of an end-of-vintage sale.  My thought process to decide to buy this wine was something along the lines of, “Washington state, single vineyard, Syrah, for under $15”.  Into my case went a few bottles very quickly.

 

Winery history

Second generation winemaker Greg Powers has a deep affinity for the Columbia Valley and its viticulture.  He grew up in the region’s spectacular farm country and helped his father Bill plant and manage Badger Mountain Vineyard.  Today, Greg carries on the family traditions of sustainable farming and the passionate production of exceptional wines.  Under Greg’s leadership, Powers Winery has been recognized as a “rising star” by Wine Spectator, and as one of the “50 Great U.S. Cabernet Producers” by Wine Enthusiast.

 

Powers wines are creatively blended and crafted to showcase Washington state’s distinctive vineyards and robust and diverse microclimates.  Deeply rooted in long term relationships with premium Washington state growers, Powers sources a variety of the highest quality fruit to consistently produce compelling wines of uncommon depth, complexity and harmony.  Our Reserve Meritage is an excellent example of blending premiere vineyards, while our other Reserve selections spotlight wines from a single expressive vineyard.  All Powers wines reflect a devotion, experience and integrity that result in wines worthy to carry the family name.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep maroon color.  The slightly different nose has blackberries, smoke, earthy underbrush, dried herbs, minerals, roasted game, and licorice.  The earthy elements and roasted game push right up to barnyardy but stop before crossing the line, which isn’t a problem to me, but buyer beware.  This has medium body, mostly integrated tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate the fruit comes across more like raspberry to cherry instead of the blackberries that were on the nose.  The palate also has nice minerals, spice, and earthy elements.  The finish is a touch short with tart cherries, dried herbs, minerals, and earthy elements carrying the weight.  A nice change of pace, somewhere in the middle of a French Rhone wine and a cooler climate CA Syrah.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Mitolo Shiraz Jester – $12.74

 

My comments

I was in the mood for something easy drinking and tasty to sip on this evening.  This made the choice easy, an Australian Shiraz.  This Ben Glaetzer made wine is usually full of ripe, juicy fruit.

 

Winery history

For such a young winery, Mitolo’s history is rich.  It’s one studded with success, wide acclaim, and – most importantly – truly memorable wines.  But that’s only to be expected from a winery which, since the very first day, has been motivated by three potent words:

 

Purity.  Elegance.  Power.

 

Those were the guiding principles Frank Mitolo wrote down when he created the winery in 1999.  With his Italian heritage and a family history of working the land, Frank was only interested in pursuing excellence.  And the results were there immediately in the release of the first Mitolo wine – the 2000 G.A.M. – named after Frank’s children Gemma, Alexander and Marco.

 

Attracted by this commitment to only create wines of outstanding quality, acclaimed winemaker Ben Glaetzer joined Mitolo as a partner in 2001.  With grapes sourced from two of Australia’s premier wine regions, Mclaren Vale and the Barossa Valley, Frank and Ben now work tirelessly to surpass their already impressive achievements.  Mitolo Wines, praised by some of the world’s toughest critics, are now enjoyed in more than 20 countries around the world.

 

And that is just the start.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The very open and easy going nose has blackberries, cherries, vanilla, black pepper, baking spices, brined olives, and wild flowers.  This has medium body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  The spicy, peppery, sweet cherries and berries coat the palate with some vanilla and brined olives coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length and mirrors the palate.  If you’re looking for a Northern Rhone Syrah, look elsewhere, if you want a mouthful of sweet, spicy, peppery cherries and berries, you found your wine.  It’s not very complex, but what do you expect for around $15?  (89 pts)

 

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

This is from a California Syrah tasting hosted by a friend.  He supplied the first six wines, I provided the last two as a counterpoint to the big, rich, ripe Syrahs we’d be consuming.

 

The first six were to be rated by those in attendance.  Since I only had a couple small tastes of each wine, I will only provide my quick thoughts without a full tasting note or score.  I prefer to spend a few hours with a bottle of wine to give a full assessment.  We knew the wines we’d be tasting, but the wines were decanted and the bottles were hidden until after we had sampled all the wines twice so we could form unbiased opinions.

 

These notes are not meant to look into the future but to provide a snapshot of how they were on this one specific night early in their development.

 

 

 

2009 Torrin Akasha

 

My Impressions

This is a solidly made, full bodied wine that demands a few years in the cellar.  This Paso Robles wine shows the characteristics of a location that gets warm to hot during the day but cools off enough at night to help the wine retain freshness and good acidity.  The wine is deep, dark, inky purple color with loads of black fruit, flowers, smoke, and spice.  This nicely balanced wine has sufficient tannins and acidity to support its size and ripeness level.  On the first pass through the wines this was my favorite, but eventually fell to second.

 

 

 

2010 McPrice Myers Syrah Larner Vineyard

 

My Impressions

As is generally the winery’s style, this was a massive, full bodied, ripe wine.  The wine is from the Santa Ynez Valley on California’s Central Coast.  The wine was an inky purple color with loads of black and blue fruit, licorice, smoke and spices jumping from the glass.  I fairly easily guessed this wine since it really isn’t my preferred style.  It was big and ripe with solid tannins, but to me the relatively lower level of acidity makes it flabby and a touch syrupy.  My least favorite wine of the night and that opinion seemed to be shared by others since the decanter still had a fair amount of wine in it when most of the others had been emptied.

 

 

 

2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Griffin’s Lair

 

My Impressions

This was another deep, dark, inky wine this time from the Sonoma Coast.  This is a fairly tightly wound beast that barely opened up even after being decanted for 4 to 5 hours.  The fruit did show some cooler climate characteristics like violet and some red cherry but it refused to fully open up.  You could sense the power behind the wall of tannins but this will need a few years in the cellar to live up to its full potential.  This was initially my second choice, but its lack of development led it to fall into my third slot.  I’m glad I have this in my cellar, but I won’t even consider opening a bottle for at least 3 to 4 years. The lack of development over a few hours lead me to correctly guess this was the Bedrock.  Their single vineyard Syrahs need a couple years to come together and open up.

 

 

 

2010 Carlisle Syrah Papa’s Block

 

My Impressions

I feel like a broken record…This Russian River Valley wine was a deep, dark ruby color.  This wine had big berries, pepper, spice, and showed a nice meaty element.  The tannins were fairly solid and with the accompanying acidity provided a solid backbone to easily support the wine’s size.  This wine has very nice balance and opened up very nicely over the course of a couple of hours.  This wine was far and away the most improved wine with additional air.  This was initially my number 3 wine, but upon trying an hour or two later, easily became my wine of the night.  I guessed this was the Carlisle wine immediately after trying it the second time.

 

 

 

2010 Herman Story Syrah White Hawk Vineyard

 

My Impressions

This is another deep, dense, purple wine, this one from Santa Barbara County.  This wine showed nice minerality and dark chocolate notes to go with the solid wall of berries.  There was a load of chewy tannins, but I’d have liked a tad more acidity to help hold the finish together.  This was a well made, full bodied Syrah that was over shadowed by several of the other wines due to its slightly muddled finish.  My number 5 wine based both on the initial taste and a follow up tasting.

 

 

 

2010 Jaffurs Syrah Larner Vineyard

 

My Impressions

This Santa Barbara County wine was a deep, dark, ruby to purple color.  The nose on the wine is outstanding with dark berries, minerals, eucalyptus, and a touch of cherry.  This was another tightly wound wine that never really opened up on the palate.  It was full bodied, had very solid tannins, and good acidity but never did come around.  Of the six wines, this one really needs the most cellar time.  I thought this could have been the Jaffurs, more or less by default by eliminating the other wines.  This was my number 4 wine on this night, but I could tell there was something special waiting to be uncaged.

 

 

 

2009 Anthill Farms Syrah Peters Vineyard

 

My Impressions

This Sonoma Coast Syrah was a deep ruby red color.  The cooler, Sonoma Coast influence was easily noticeable on the nose with a fair amount of cherry coming through as well as white pepper, bacon fat, and stony minerals.  This has more of a medium to full body with fairly solid tannins and very good acidity.  After trying the big bruisers, this almost seemed like a delicate Pinot Noir when I tasted it again after the other wines.

 

 

 

2008 Stefania Syrah Eaglepoint Ranch

 

My Impressions

This Mendocino County Syrah was a deep, dark ruby color.  Besides the requisite dark berries, this had a serious smoked meat element on the nose.  Probably because it was the oldest wine in the tasting, it seemed to be the most civilized and open.  This wine had medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  I’m glad I have a few more bottles to open down the road.

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

2005 Rosenblum Cellars Petite Sirah Pickett Road Vineyard

1988 Schloss Schönborn Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätlese

2005 Cuvelier de Los Andes (Clos de los Siete) Grand Vin

2003 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto

 

 

 

2005 Rosenblum Cellars Petite Sirah Pickett Road Vineyard – $31.04

 

My comments

This wine is from the time when Rosenblum on the label meant there was a very good chance the wine in the bottle would be something special.   I purchased this and several other bottles of Rosenblum wine at a tasting hosted by a local store in a private room at a local restaurant.  Kent Rosenblum was personally pouring at one of the tasting stations.  It was a cold December night, perfect weather to enjoy several Rosenblum wines.

 

Winery history

In 1978, Rosenblum Cellars opened its now-legendary home in Alameda, California; a place known more for its docks and shipyards than for winemaking.  But then again, Kent Rosenblum, “The King of Zin,” always did things a little differently from the status quo.

 

When most of the established wineries in California were focused on their estate-grown wines, Kent chose to explore some of the unrecognized and underappreciated grape-growing areas of Northern California.  He met families who had been growing grapes for generations; dedicated growers passionate about their vineyards, who worked tirelessly to grow the best grapes possible from old vines their families had planted years before.

 

Their efforts showcased the difference between mountainside and valley floor grapes, the importance of soil types and their influence on the taste of a wine.  Kent was fascinated by the character and complexity of the Zin grapes produced by these old vines, and was determined to capture this spirit in a bottle.

 

Kent took grapes back to Alameda and began to make wines, acknowledging the contributions of his friends by placing the vineyard’s name on the bottle.  Working out of a factory building near the docks, Kent and his crew looked more like longshoremen than winemakers.  But the wine they made spoke for itself.

 

Rosenblum Cellars has become one the most-awarded and highly rated California Zinfandel portfolios.  Our head winemaker, John Kane, and his team still travel all over California to find exceptional grapes – working to make bold, delicious wines.  And if you’re ever in the neighborhood, we invite you to come visit us next to the docks in Alameda.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The nose screams, “I am Petite Sirah” with loads of blackberries, blueberries, fresh ground black pepper, melted licorice, warm baking spices, dried herbs, vanilla, wild flowers, crushed stone minerals, dark chocolate, and some earthy underbrush.  This has a full body, solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  This is big and rich on the palate with loads of fruit, spice, dark chocolate, and nice earthiness, but with plenty of tannins and good acidity holding everything together very nicely.  The finish is long and again, full of flavor but held together nicely by the wine’s structure.  This will probably still be drinking nicely in a decade, but it is stunning right now.  (93 pts)

 

After I do my notes, I check the major publications to see how my notes compare.  Incredibly, one of the big boys gave a drinking window of “Drink through 2008” for this wine.  In my opinion, they blew it…big time.

 

 

 

1988 Schloss Schönborn Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spätlese – $34.81

 

My comments

We’re real big fans of off-dry German Riesling wines with some age on them.  The overt sweetness and tingly acidity mellow and integrate over time leaving a delicious, food friendly elixir.  These wines are better defined as rich instead of sweet.  Try an aged Riesling with a spicy dish and you will become a fan.

 

Winery history

Schloss Schönborn – famous wines with a long tradition.  Located in the heart of the Rheingau valley, the Domänenweingut Schloss Schönborn has long stood for premium wine culture.

 

Many of the vineyards along the slopes bordering the Rhine River have been part of the Schönborn family estate since 1349, which has been added to continuously since then.  Several top sites were acquired in the 17th and 18th centuries, giving the estate a real boost.  The estate now covers 50 ha, of which 90% are planted with Riesling.  The remaining vineyards feature Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc.  The Schloss Schönborn wine estate is one of the founder members of the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP) and has for many years been managing its valuable vineyards in tune with nature.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, golden yellow color.  The very pleasing nose has petrol, apples, white peaches, honey, minerals, citrus zest, lime, and some white pepper. This has light to medium body with crisp acidity and nice sweetness. Very rich and smooth on the palate with most of the overt sugar having been incorporated into the magical elixir. The wine has a long, lingering finish full of peach, apples, honey, minerals, and lime. This may last a few more years in the cellar, but it tastes marvelous right now.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Cuvelier de Los Andes (Clos de los Siete) Grand Vin – $32.86

 

My comments

When the Cuvelier family of Second Classified Growth, Château Léoville Poyferré decided to expand into Argentina, they started this winery.  Along with their Oenological-consultant, Michael Rolland, this is their version of a new-world Bordeaux styled blend.  This is a blend of 70% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, 7% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot.

 

Winery history

The Cuvelier Los Andes S.A. vineyard was planted in 1999 with a density of 5500 plants per hectare.  Today the vineyard stretches over 55 hectares (136 acres) with 10 hectares still to plant.

 

The main grape variety is Malbec.  We have also planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Petit Verdot.  This enables us to create our own blended wines and also contribute to those of Clos de los Siete.  Basking in the warm, dry climate of Mendoza, cooled by the refreshing night air of the Andes, our vines are ideally situated to express the character of their various grape varieties in this stony, alluvial gravel soil.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, maroon color.  The deep and dark nose has blackberries, earthy underbrush, tree bark, warm baking spices, fresh ground dark roast coffee, smoke, plums, tobacco, and a touch of grilled meat.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  The palate is dominated by spicy, earthy, dark fruit, with a bit of coffees and meaty elements coming in late.  The finish has very nice length and leans more of the savory elements than the fruit.  This is a powerful and intense wine that demands a piece of juicy meat.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2003 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto – $33.24

 

My comments

I’ve been a big fan of Aalto for several years.  These are big, tannic beasts in their youth that, with some cellar time, round into very pleasurable bottles of Tempranillo.

 

Winery history

The winery’s website is “under construction” so the following information is from the Drink Ribera site.

 

Aalto was founded in 1999 by Mariano García and Javier Zaccagnini with the aim of making a new wine, based on very old vineyards and Mariano’s expertise.  After 10 years, the winery is considered a leader in Ribera del Duero and has obtained the highest reviews in many tastings.  Top scores include three 98 point-ratings from The Wine Advocate, and twice being named Best Wine of Spain, as selected by Michel Bettane and Thiery Dessauve’s book of the Best 100 Wineries of the World.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The very inviting nose has cherries, black raspberries, licorice, Asian spices, plums, scorched earth, violets, vanilla, and a touch of mint.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and good acidity.  The palate has nice red fruit, spice, and subtle earthiness, with darker fruit coming in on the backend.  The finish is fairly long with a very nice vanilla element adding to the earthy, spicy, red fruit.  This is drinking nicely now, but there is a definite upside to warrant some additional cellar time.       (93 pts)

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

2009 Calera Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard, 2002 Elyse Petite Sirah Rutherford

2009 Château des Karantes Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape, 2003 Robert Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles

 

 

 

2009 Calera Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard – $37.99

 

My comments

When the local wine store offered this wine and the winery’s Mill Vineyard Pinot at a special price via an e-mail offer, I had to grab a few bottles of each.  I’ve enjoyed the lower end Calera Pinots in the past, but these will be my exposure to their higher end, single vineyard offerings.

 

Winery history

Calera is a vision, and Calera’s wines truly express the sense of place.  Rather than follow the recommended path, Josh Jensen became a pioneer in search of the perfect spot on the globe to grow grapes.  Taking his cue from the great domaines of Burgundy which have grown grapes in limestone soil for centuries, he set out in search of the perfect spot in California to create wines unique to the world but in the style of the greatest wines of France.  Site selection was vital as he ventured off the grid to plant on the site of an old limekiln in the GavilanMountains of California.  Today Calera wines still express that pioneer spirit and are revered the world over.  We are proud to report that even Robert Parker is convinced: “Calera is one of the most compelling Pinot Noir specialists of not only the New World, but of Planet Earth.”

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light to medium, bright ruby red color.  The sexy and inviting nose has black raspberries, cherries, mint, Asian spices, wild flowers, cola, and a touch of earthiness.  This is barely medium body with soft, fairly integrated tannins, and very good acidity.  On the palate the sweet berries and spicy cherries lead the charge but some nice earthiness and a touch of mint come in on the back end adding depth.  The finish is fairly long leaning on the raspberries, floral note, and earthy elements.  This is the real deal and it should gain additional complexity with a bit more cellar time, but it is delicious right now.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2002 Elyse Petite Sirah Rutherford – $17.25

 

My comments

This wine has been a long time favorite of mine.  This is one of those wines that tastes great upon release, but transforms into something magical with a decade in the cellar.  I was lucky enough to restock this wine at a steal of a price via WineBid a couple years ago.  I don’t know who sold these, but they should rest assured they found a good home and provided a lot of pleasure to those lucky enough to have been around when I opened one.

 

Wine Techie Stuff and information

This is made up of 93% Petite Sirah and 7% Zinfandel.  The Petite Sirah comes from the Wood Ranch.  Wood Ranch was owned by Frank “Laurie” Wood, who passed away in August 2011.  The Wood Ranch was purchased a couple months ago by Frank Family winery, at this time it is not known if they will keep the Petite Sirah vines.  Personally, I hope they keep these vines and continue selling the grapes to Elyse for this wine.  An interesting tidbit is the bud wood used in the Wood Ranch Petite Sirah block was sourced from the old vines of the famed Hayne Vineyard by Elyse’s very own Ray Coursen.   See a picture below of Frank “Laurie” Wood at the Ranch.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The outstanding nose has blackberries, melted licorice, smoky embers, black peppercorns, dark chocolate, dried herbs, earthy underbrush, and meat juices.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  One the palate there are loads of berries, licorice, and black pepper up front with dried herbs, meaty notes, and dark chocolate coming in on the back end.  The finish is long and full of berries, black pepper, and dark chocolate.  This is in a fantastic drinking window, full open and absolutely no rough edges.  I wish I had a few more bottles for drinking over the next few years.  Outstanding!  (95 pts)

 

 

 

Frank “Laurie” Wood at his Ranch which was the source of the Petite Sirah grapes used in the 2002 Elyse Petite Sirah Rutherford described above.

 

 

 

2009 Château des Karantes Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape – $12.34

 

My comments

This wine was brought in by the local wine store as part of a blow out sale.  Even though this winery was not familiar to me, I grabbed a few bottles for week nights.  The average price paid on Cellar Tracker for this wine was over $20, so my $12 cost could have been a bargain, but I’ll have to try one to make sure.

 

Winery history

Château des Karantes is a magnificent vineyard located in the south of France, in the Languedoc Roussillon Region.  The domaine is in the heart of a small valley overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and is just two minutes from the seaside resort towns of Narbonne Plage and St. Pierre sur Mer.  The estate offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Mediterranean Sea with the PyreneesMountains visible in the distance.  The beautiful winding access to the vineyard through the garrigue fosters a sense of remoteness and contributes to the peaceful surroundings of the estate.

 

The vineyard is named after a former Bishop of Carcassonne, owner of the estate hundreds of years ago.  The estate is 193 hectares and produces 44 hectares of vines.  Nestled in the Mediterranean Garrigue, it extends along the limestone, clay and rocky slopes, which form the “Massif” or Ridge of La Clape.  The exceptional South-East/East exposure and proximity to the sea contribute to the production of our quality wines.  The entire vineyard is in the Coteaux du Languedoc – La Clape Appelation.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  The very nice nose has blackberries, smoke, plums, dried herbs, a touch of road tar, Asian spice, dark chocolate, and fresh ground dark roast coffee.  This has medium body with fairly substantial tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate nice fruit and dried herbs take center stage with some spice, dark chocolate, and coffee coming in later.  The finish is initially a touch short and has a slight stemmy/green note that creeps into the picture.  After about 3 hours of decanter time, the stemmy/green note integrates and is barely noticeable and the finish adds some length.  Not bad now, but some cellar time will be greatly rewarded.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2003 Robert Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles – $15.83

 

My comments

I could say I saved this bottle to see how a Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles priced in the mid teens would be at 10 years old, but the truth is it simply fell through the cracks.  Personally, I’m interested to see what this bottle has to offer.

 

Winery history

During a family trip to France in the late 70’s, Robert visited the Rhone valley and was captivated by the winery lifestyle of farming, crafting wine and the pairing of wine with food.  Robert began developing his idea for a premium-producing vineyard and winery in the early-80’s, and ventured west with the goal of visiting each of California’s wine appellations to explore the optimum growing conditions for the production of premium wine grapes, specifically the Rhone varieties he had enjoyed so much.  In early-90’s, Robert and Margaret discovered the perfect terroir in the Paso Robles appellation.  Featuring soil rich in nutrients, coupled with warm days and cool nights, Robert felt the viticultural conditions were ideal to the development of the enological characteristics he was seeking to produce.  “Home Ranch” was acquired in 1995.  Soon after, the “Terrace” and “Bench” vineyards joined the Hall Ranch enclave.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a ruby red color with just a touch of brick at the edge.  The classic nose has cassis, leather, dried herbs, tobacco, baking spices, smoke, and just a touch of cedar.  This has medium body, fully integrated tannins, and good acidity.  The palate has a quick hit of cassis but the savory elements take over with spices, dried herbs, and a touch of oak coming in.  The finish has nice length with a touch of cassis adding nice sweetness to the savory elements.  This may be on the back side of its aging progression, but it was a very tasty week night Cabernet.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 Mailing Lists

 

The end has to be approaching since it seems like I have been getting offers every day for the last month.

 

One of the big boys did hit this week, Bedrock Wine Co.  This is a no brainer, stock up, winery.  I’ll be placing my order this weekend, but I already know my order will be between two and three cases.

 

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

 

I received a nice box of samples from Northwest Totem Cellars that I’ll be tasting in the next few weeks.  Keep an eye out for a special post on these gems.

2008 Northwest Totem Cellars Qo-Ne

2009 Northwest Totem Cellars Low Man

2008 Northwest Totem Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon

2008 Northwest Totem Cellars Cabernet Franc

 

 

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!

 

 

 

2006 Clarendon Hills Syrah Liandra – $37.00

 

My comments

I had a bit of this wine several months ago at a friend’s house and thought it was outstanding, but didn’t take an official tasting note.  Since I have a few bottles, it seems like a perfect time to open one and spend an evening with it to see how it tastes.

 

Winery history

In 1990, Roman Bratasiuk embarked on a truly remarkable wine making journey.  His vision: to create single vineyard wines equal to anything in the world.  Quite simply.  Working with old, dry-grown vines and performing every step of the process by hand, Roman sought to redefine the Australian fine wine landscape by solely conveying the imprint a vineyard forges on the varietal expression.  Every year a pragmatic and calculated Clarendon Hills learns a little more about our vineyards and pushes a little further to propel each one of our 100% varietal wines to the pinacle of their capability.

 

Please join Roman and the Clarendon Hills family in celebrating our 19 single vineyard, 100% varietal wines.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky, purple color.  The spellbinding nose has charred meat, blackberries, smoke, roasted herbs, blueberries, black pepper, vanilla, licorice, minerals, Asian spices, and dark chocolate.  This has medium to full body, ripe and velvety tannins, and good acidity.  The palate on this wine is out of the world with the berries, roasted herbs, and black pepper slowly giving way to spicy, meaty elements and dark chocolate.  The finish is extremely long and highlights the spice, meat, and roasted herbs.  This is the complete package.  Outstanding!  No hurry on this one, it has years of life ahead of it.  (96 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Rudius Russian River Valley Grenache – $35.00

 

My comments

I’ve been a big fan of Jeff Ames’ Rudius label since the early days.  I’ve had a few bottles of this Grenache over the years but it’s been a while since I opened one.  Since I’m in the mood for a California Grenache, it’s a perfect day to check in to see how it is progressing.

 

Winery history

Growing up in Memphis and Mobile, Alabama in a family of lawyers, the thought of becoming a winemaker never occurred to Jeff Ames.  But after deciding not to pursue his law degree, a part time job in a local wine shop in Memphis sparked his passion for wine.  Soon after, in 1998, Jeff moved to Oregon on a whim—with no guarantee of a job—and lucked out when Lynn Penner-Ash gave him his first harvest job at Rex Hill.  What started as a much-needed mental break from his Masters program, soon turned into an exciting new career.  After harvest, Jeff couldn’t get enough of the wine business, and made the big move to the NapaValley in 1999.  After bouncing around the industry from tasting room jobs at Freemark Abbey, FloraSprings and Duckhorn, to freelance writing for Decanter Magazine, to sales at WineBid, Jeff finally got the break he was waiting for.  In 2001, he was able to return to production—the side of the industry he has always loved most—when he became Thomas Brown’s assistant winemaker at brands including Schrader, Maybach, Outpost, and Tor.

 

Two short years later, he took over as head winemaker at Tor, where he continues to make extraordinary wines from some of California’s most notable vineyards.  Everything really came together for Jeff in 2005, when, after years of penny-pinching, he finally achieved his ultimate goal of starting his own wine brand—Rudius Wines.  And the result, my friends, is what you have in your cellar!

 

For more information or to sign up for the Rudius mailing list, visit their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a ruby red to violet color.  The sensual nose has raspberries, candied violets, wood smoke, roasted herbs, melted licorice, black pepper, subtle earthiness, brined olives, warm baking spices, and meat juices.  This is one of those wines you could sit a sniff and be happy.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  The palate shows a nice initial hit of raspberry but the savory elements take over from there providing roasted herbs, olives, pepper, and a touch of earthiness.  The finish is fairly long and again leans heavily on the savory spectrum.  This is a delicious wine but not really for those wanting a rich, fruity, style of wine.  This should be enjoyed over the next couple of years.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Jean Edwards Cellars Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard Mendocino County – $30.00

 

My comments

I guess you can call this a Social Media relationship.  I learned of Jean Edwards Cellars via Twitter.  I read their Tweets and started following them, luckily they followed me back.  Over the last couple of years we have exchanged jokes and Tweets about just about everything.  I was finally able to order a few bottles of their wine, and after giving a bottle a good 15 minutes to recover from the trip half way across the country, I popped the cork.  I am now a big fan and I spread their name to anyone who will listen to me.  I highly encourage you to check out their website and join their mailing list.  These are two very nice people making some of the best wine in the NapaValley.

 

Winery history

We are the owner/vintners of Jean Edwards Cellars – we share a passion for wine, a similar palate and a singular vision on the style of wines we produce.  We live by our motto that “you should only make wines you love to drink” and focus our production on artisan red wines that are full-bodied and classically styled.

 

Quality and heritage are important to us – our wines are reflective of their origins and are sourced some of the most prestigious vineyards (and vineyard blocks) throughout Napa Valley including Stagecoach Vineyard (on Pritchard Hill); vineyards on the valley floor in Rutherford, Oakville and Coombsville; and mountain vineyards on Howell and Spring Mountain.

 

Time really flies – we started producing commercial wines in 2004 but our dream of producing high quality NapaValley cabernet sauvignon wines started much earlier when we travelled to the valley in 1985.  During that trip, we developed a true appreciation for cabernet sauvignon wines and decided we would some day be a part of the business and produce a wine called Jean Edwards Cellars (our two middle names).  It was a goal worth waiting for and twenty plus years later we released our first wine in the Spring of 2006.

 

For more information, to order wine, or to join the Jean Edwards mailing list, visit their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby color.  The outstanding nose has blackberries, melted licorice, smoke, charred meat, roasted herbs, black pepper, olive tapenade, wild flowers, a touch of eucalyptus, and some subtle earthiness.  This has medium body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate features nice berries with black pepper and roasted herbs up front with olives, some earthiness, and meaty elements on the back end adding considerable depth.  The finish is fairly long and leans more on the savory elements but some blackberries are in the background adding nice sweetness.  This is still on the younger side and seemed to hit its’ peak after about two to three hours of air.  I think there is still a fair amount of upside with additional cellar time.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

We paired the Jean Edwards Syrah with a grilled Strip Steak over a bed of thin, crispy onion rings, grilled potatoes, and a slice of grilled Asiago/Garlic bread.

 

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

No purchases or deliveries last week, but I’m sure that will change this week.

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

2007 Novy Family Wines Syrah Judge Family Vineyard – $15.00

 

My comments

I grabbed a few bottles of this wine during a Novy sale where you received a bigger discount based on how many bottles you purchased.  I think I ended up with an extra 25% off.  A single vineyard, Novy Syrah for $15?  Stock up time.

 

Winery history

Our winemaking goal is to produce wines that best capture the distinct flavor and character of a given vineyard site.  To that end, we focus on sites that provide us with exceptional fruit.  We are fanatical in our protection of the vineyard flavor and are determined not to let any overt winemaking components mute the personality of an individual site.

 

In the cellar, we vinifiy each wine separately by block, clone and barrel type in order to maximize the individual components and provide greater complexity to the final blend.  This approach also provides us with much more flexibility in crafting a wine using only the best and most harmonious lots.

 

Given that the majority of our wines are single vineyard offerings, it is critical for us to maintain the site’s individual character in order to provide you with a truly diverse offering of wines.  To that end:

 

• We believe in minimal intervention, “gentle” winemaking.  In other words, we let the wine make itself.  We do not want to do anything to the wine that isn’t absolutely necessary.
• We believe in bottling our wines unfiltered and unfined whenever possible, convinced as we are that fining and filtering strip wines of flavor and character.
• We believe that the best wines express their origins.  Our goal is not to produce the world’s best Syrah or Zinfandel but rather to produce the very best wine from a given site.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark ruby to maroon color.  The very nice nose has blackberries, fresh cracked black peppercorns, smoke, charred meat, cherries, dried herbs, and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins, and nice acidity.  On the palate the berries, black pepper, and meaty elements hit the palate first with dried herbs and a bit of earthiness coming in on the back end.  The finish is fairly long with the savory elements providing most of the flavor.  Still seems to be on the young side but very enjoyable now with some air.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Viña Cobos Cabernet Sauvignon Cocodrilo – $14.99

 

My comments

It was a fairly easy decision to grab a few bottles of this wine after enjoying the 2005 vintage.  This is from Paul Hobbs’ winery in Argentina.  A Paul Hobbs’ cab for under $15?  Like the Novy Judge Family Vineyard Syrah above, this was a no brainer.

 

Winery history

Paul Hobbs visited Argentina in 1989 and he became immediately interested in both the terroir and Argentine culture, noticing the unique potential for Malbec and other varietals in the region.  In 1997 Andrea and Luis met Paul in California and they decided to found Viña Cobos.  Since then, Paul and his Argentine partners have grown their portfolio of ultra-premium wines to include Cobos Nico, Bramare, and Felino which continue to receive even greater accolades.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The very open and pleasing nose has cassis, minerals, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, cherries, vanilla, and a bit of earthy underbrush.  This has medium body, integrated, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  Plush and rich on the palate with dark chocolate, berries, and coffee up front with some vanilla and earthiness on the back end.  The finish has nice length with the dark chocolate and fruit hanging on nicely.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Domaine André Brunel Côtes du Rhône Villages Cuvée Sabrine – $9.49

 

My comments

The local store brought some of this in when the distributor was looking to clear out some wines.  I was able to get several bottles of this gem for under $10 a bottle.  Now it’s time to sample a bottle to see how long to save the remaining bottles.

 

This is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre.

 

Winery history

Robert Parker on Domaine André Brunel

André Brunel is more renowned as a progressive producer of high-quality Châteauneuf du Pape, where he fashions the superb Les Cailloux.  But readers looking for a value-priced introduction to his fine winemaking should seek out his red Côtes du Rhône, bottled under the name Domaine André Brunel, and his white Côtes du Rhône, Domaine Becassonne.  These are forward, rich, fruity wines that are meant to be drunk early. The red Côtes du Rhône is a delicious, peppery, complex wine that will drink well for 5-6 years.  Desiring to capture the full pleasures of his vineyard, Brunel bottles this wine without fining or filtration.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep violet color.  The dark and meaty nose has black cherries, minerals, charred meat, blackberries, licorice, potpourri, and earthy underbrush.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate the minerals, earth, and fruit flavors slowly give way to meaty elements.  The finish has nice length but gets a touch thin.  This is still very young and will reward another year or two in the cellar.  The time in the cellar should add some complexity and help fill out the finish.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Bodega Sottano Malbec Reserva de Familia – $16.62

 

My comments

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.

 

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)

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

No new purchases this week, mainly because I’ve been on the road since Sunday morning.

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

2004 Cameron Hughes Priorat Lot 49 – $10.00

 

My comments

This is a perfect example of the perceived power of the Wine Advocate.  In February 2007, Jay Miller bestowed the dreaded 89 points on a upper $30s Priorat.  Knowing it would be a hard sell, the 2004 Celler Joan Simó Priorat Les Sentius is labeled as 2004 Cameron Hughes Priorat Lot 49.  I don’t know the exact selling price of the Cameron Hughes version, but I got a case for $10 a bottle.  Even though the label and capsule are all Cameron Hughes, the cork labeling holds the truth.

 

This is a blend of 48% Grenache, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 12% Syrah, 10% Carignan.

 

My first Cameron Hughes wine was their 2003 Cameron Hughes Pinot Noir Lot 8 Arroyo Seco.

Winery history

Cameron Hughes Wine is an American négociant that makes, imports, and distributes ultra-premium wine under four wine brands; The Lot Series, Hughes Wellman, CH Collection, and Zin Your Face.  We are nationally distributed and carried in chains, grocery, broad market, on premise and online at our vertically integrated Web store, chwine.com.

 

Cameron Hughes Wine was founded by Cameron Hughes and partner Jessica Kogan who are dedicated to delivering truly exceptional wine at real world prices.  This has been their mission since starting their company in San Francisco more than 10 years ago.

 

Much more information and current wines available at their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The slightly rustic nose has cherries, raspberries, dried herbs, crushed stone minerals, baking spices, and earthy underbrush.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins and good acidity.  This is in a nice place today with some air, but additional cellar time will be rewarded.  89 pts

 

 

 

2006 Carlisle Syrah James Berry Vineyard – $48.00

 

My comments

For some absurdly stupid reason, I only bought one bottle of this wine.  I know this will improve with more cellar time, but it’s calling my name.  Since I’m leaving on a business trip tomorrow, I might as well give into temptation.

 

Winery history

We are a small Sonoma County winery specializing in the production of old-vine, vineyard designated zinfandels and red Rhone varieties (syrah, grenache, mourvèdre, and petite sirah).  While we like our wines to be bold, rich, and intensely flavored, each reflecting a sense of place, its origins in the vineyard, we also strive to create wines of balance, complexity, and perhaps most importantly, pleasure.

 

Rich.  Lusty.  Hedonistic.  These are some of the descriptors we often hear applied to our wines.  However, we also hear the words elegant, balanced, complex.  Yes, through hard work in the vineyard and winery, we believe you can have it all, the best of both worlds.  Our approach to winemaking is simple, yet difficult.  We prefer to intervene in nature’s process as little as possible but we will leave no stone unturned in our quest to maximize the quality of each wine we produce.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby color.  The deep and dark nose has smoked meat, black berries, black cherries, licorice, black pepper, Asian spices, minerals, and some earthiness.  This is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins, and very good acidity.  Loads of spicy, peppery, mineral laden berries on the palate with some meaty and earthy notes coming in on the back end.  The long finish seems to linger forever.  This is still on the young side but is drinking very nicely with a good amount of air.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Convergence Russell Family Vineyard – $66.33

 

My comments

This is another of the non Pinot Noir wines Brian Loring has produced.  Thus far, every one has been outstanding.  This wine is 75% Grenache and 25% Mourvedre from Paso Robles.

 

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.

 

I’d made about 3 trips around the booths at the tasting without finding a single good Pinot Noir.  So, being the open minded person that I am (remember I passed him up 3 times), I stopped at the Cottonwood booth.  I was BLOWN away by Norm’s 1990 Santa Maria Pinot Noir.  After a few years of attending every Cottonwood event and asking Norm 10,000 questions about winemaking, he offered to let come learn the process during the ’97 crush.  I checked sugar levels, picked, crushed, punched down, pressed, filled barrels, and generally moved a bunch of stuff around with fork lifts and pallet jacks!  It was the time of my life… I was totally hooked.  And even though I hadn’t planned it, I ended up making two barrels of Pinot Noir.  That was the start of the Loring Wine Company.  What had started out as a dream 15 years earlier was now a reality – I was a winemaker!

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red, much lighter at the edge.  The very pleasing nose has blackberries, cherries, earthy underbrush, minerals, baking spices, and some dried herbs.  The wine has a full body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  The palate is loaded with spicy, juicy berries, but it’s not all about the fruit, there is also nice minerality, dried herbs, and earthiness coming in on the back end adding depth and complexity.  The fairly long finish is a nice continuation of the palate with some additional baking spices and dried herbs kicking into high gear.  This is on the young side, but absolutely delicious today.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

I picked up 2 bottles of 2009 Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve yesterday.  These were from my local store’s weekly e-mail offer.  After getting their special price, my 5% discount, and using a couple of older $10 gift cards, my cost was just a touch over $50 a bottle.

 

 

 

 

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!