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!

 

 

 

These wines were provided by Balzac Communications acting on behalf of Steven Kent and La Rochelle Wineries.

 

 

 

 

These wines were tasted as part of the Steven Kent Wines online Twitter tasting on Friday, February 15th.  The notes that follow were compiled first during the event but modified as needed after retasting the bottles again on Saturday.  As expected a few of the larger red wines showed the most improvement on the second day.  Since these wines are priced on the higher side (but very reasonably, in my opinion) it would be best to allow the big reds considerable air or preferably a few years in the cellar.

 

 

Steven Kent Winery and La Rochelle Winery are part of the Steven Kent Portfolio.  Information is available online for Steven Kent Portfolio, Steven Kent Winery, and La Rochelle Winery.

 

 

 

2011 Steven Kent Lola Ghielmetti Vineyard (SRP $24)

 

This is a blend of 65% Sauvignon Blanc and 35% Semillon from the Ghielmetti Vineyard in Livermore.

 

Each variety was fermented separately in stainless steel tanks after whole cluster pressing.  After four months in tanks, the final blending was performed and aged a few more months in tanks to help marry the flavors.  The wine did not go through malo-lactic fermentation to help maintain the crisp acidity.

 

The final alcohol is 13.9%.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a golden yellow color with a slight green tint.  The fresh and full of Spring nose has apples, citrus zest, minerals, straw, and some spice.  This has a medium body with crisp acidity.  On the palate the tart apples, lime zest, and a touch of white pepper grab center stage.  Even though it is only 35% of the blend it seems to stand out a bit.  This would be perfect for dinner on the deck or patio on a warm day.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2010 La Rochelle Chardonnay Morelli Lane Dutton Ranch (SRP $65)

 

This 100% Chardonnay was pressed off into stainless steel tanks and allowed to settle for a day or two.  It was then transferred to French oak barrels, 40% new, for fermentation.  The wine underwent malo-lactic fermentation and was aged sur-lie for 18 months in the 40% new French oak.

 

The final alcohol is 14.8%.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep yellow with a slight golden tint.  The very appealing nose has apples, hazelnuts, fresh bread, baking spices, citrus zest, minerals, and a touch of pineapple.  This has medium body and nice acidity.  On the palate the ripe apples, citrus zest, minerals, and spice steal the show.  Watch the serving temperature on this one, it was too bright when a couple degrees cold but became a bit too soft and out of balance when it warmed a bit too much.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2009 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands (SRP $38)

 

This wine is 100% Pinot Noir.  The vineyards used are Paraiso (31.3%), Sarmento (31.2%), White Sage (12.5%), Tondre Grapefield (12.5%), and Mission Ranch (12.5%).

 

The wine was aged 31 months in 100% French oak, 40% new and 60% second use.

 

The alcohol is 15.2%.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The dark and enticing nose has cherries, earthy underbrush, wood smoke, cola, minerals, warm baking spices, black raspberries, dark chocolate, and a touch orange zest.  This has medium body, ripe, velvety tannins, and very good acidity.  Earthy cherries, baking spices, and minerals grab the palate initially, slowly allowing some cola, black raspberries, and spicy oak to add considerable depth.  The finish has very nice length with earthy fruit and spice slowly fading away.  This is very young and deserves some cellar time to open and fill out.  This improved greatly on the second day.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2009 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Donum Estate Vineyard – (SRP $75)

 

This 100% Pinot Noir from Donum Ranch in the Carneros region was aged 19 months in 100% French oak, 40% new, for 19 months after being destemmed and crushed into 1 3/4 ton open top bins for fermentation.

 

The final alcohol is 14.6%.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a touch lighter than a medium ruby red color.  The very enticing nose has raspberries, dried sage, eucalyptus, cherries, and some earthiness.  This is barely medium body with soft, ripe tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate is dominated by the cherries, raspberries, and spice, but a touch of earthiness creeps in on the back end.  The finish has nice length but it seemed to get a touch thin.  Drinkable now, but I’m sure some time in the cellar will add some complexity and help fill out the finish a bit.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Steven Kent Petit Verdot Ghielmetti – (SRP $50)

 

Petit Verdot is generally used as a blending grape to help add tannins and color to Cabernet Sauvignon wines.  As an experiment, the winery selected their five “best” barrels to bottle and release as a “small lot” offering.  In my opinion, their experiment was a glowing success.

 

This 100% Petit Verdot from the Livermore Valley was aged 18 months in 60% new and 40% second use oak barrels from America and Hungary.  To the winery, the wine aged in the American oak  provided the “most pleasurable combination of structuring elements, flavor/aroma contribution, and forwardness of fruit”.  Total production was only 98 cases.

 

The final alcohol was 14.1%.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The dark and manly nose has blackberries, cocoa, vanilla, warm baking spices, and some nice earthiness.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid tannins and good acidity.  The velvety palate is headed by dark, spicy, earthy berries, with some cocoa coming in on the back end.  The finish is fairly long and a nice continuation of the palate.  The best straight Petit Verdot I have ever had the pleasure to drink.  This wine was very good on the first day but even better on day two.  Some cellar time will be greatly rewarded.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Steven Kent Cabernet Sauvignon Home Ranch Vineyard – (SRP $65)

 

The Home Ranch in the Livermore Valley was planted in 1996 and is 2.8 acres.

 

This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was destemmed and crushed into open top fermenters.  After fermentation, the wine was moved into 100% new American and French oak barrels for 24 months of aging.

 

The final alcohol is 14.2%.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine was a dark ruby to maroon color.  The exotic and very inviting nose has a quick hit of mint accompanied by cassis, dried herbs, smoke, baking spices, minerals, fresh ground espresso, and dark chocolate.  This has medium to full body, solid tannins and good acidity.  The palate was just as inviting as the nose lead me to expect with spicy cassis, mint, and a touch of earthiness leading the way.  The finish was fairly long with a very nice dark, bittersweet chocolate note lingering seemingly forever.  This improved greatly on the second day and deserves some time in the cellar.  (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

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

2010 Novy Family Wines Zinfandel Russian River Valley – $18.99

 

My comments

I’ve been a big fan of the Novy/Siduri wines from Adam Lee for several years.  For some reason, their Zinfandels seem to fly under the radar.  Their single vineyard offerings are some of the best values out there, grab one if you happen to see one sitting on a store shelf.

 

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 medium ruby red color.  The soothing and inviting nose has brambly berries, black pepper, warm baking spices, licorice, dried herbs, tobacco, dark chocolate and some red raspberries.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and tart acidity.  Spicy, peppery berries grab the palate initially with dried herbs and dark chocolate coming in on the mid palate.  The finish has decent length highlighted by tart red raspberries.  This has much brighter acidity than your usual California zin, which obscures any richness that may be present.  With the good tannins and abundant acidity, this should last in the cellar and improve for several years.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2004 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon – $19.79

 

My comments

Something I knew way back but forgot was that Freemark Abbey was the only winery to have two bottles of wine in the 1976 “Judgment in Paris” tasting that put California on the world’s wine map.  After a few lean years, I think the winery has righted the boat and are again producing very nice, bargain priced wines.

 

Winery history

In 1967, seven partners purchased Freemark Abbey, setting the stage for a new era of creativity.   The winery earned the nickname the “University of Freemark” due to the sheer number of innovations and significant winemakers that emerged from our cellars.

 

In 1976, wine expert Steven Spurrier conducted a legendary blind tasting in Paris – pitting the upstart wines of California against the establishment of France.  Of the 12 American wineries chosen to compete, only Freemark Abbey had two wines represented – a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon.  In an upset that shocked the wine world, California wines won every category of the tasting, putting NapaValley firmly on the world stage.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The very open and inviting nose has cassis, cedar, Asian spices, dried herbs, tobacco, black cherries, minerals, and fresh wild flowers.  This has medium body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and very nice acidity.  The palate is greeted by loads of sweet, juicy berries, spicy oak, and dried herbs, with some cherry coming in on the back end.  The finish is fairly long and full of spicy, sweet, cherries and berries, with a touch of excess oak peeking through.  The bit of excess oak on the finish is minor since there is plenty of sweet fruit.  This is pure Napa Valley and would never be mistaken as a French Bordeaux.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

I selected the Freemark Abbey Cabernet to pair with a pot roast.  I seared the meat and braised it low and slow for a few hours on Sunday.  I tightly wrapped the meat and reserved the broth.  On Tuesday, I skimmed the fat off the broth and brought it back to a boil.  I cooked the carrots, potatoes, and onions in the broth until they were tender.  After removing them, I cooked some egg noodles.  While everything else was cooking, I cut the roast into chunks and removed the larger clumps of fat.  Lastly, I put the meat into the hot broth to reheat it.  Here is the finished product:

 

 

 

2010 Helioterra Pinot Noir Willamette Valley – $18.56

 

My comments

This was a new winery for me last year.  Since that time, I met the owner/wine maker Anne Ebenretier Hubatch when she returned to her home state of Wisconsin.  After tasting through close to a dozen of her wines, I became convinced this is an up and coming winery to keep an eye on.

 

Winery history

Helioterra Wines is a small, artisan producer of Northwest wines made at an urban winery in SE Portland, Oregon.

 

Our wines are pretty, elegant and graceful in style.  Winemaker Anne Ebenretier Hubatch partners with exceptional regional vineyard growers to craft wines that demonstrate the best that the Northwest offers.

 

The name draws on geological inspirations, symbolizing Heliolite, the Oregon state gemstone (more commonly known as Sun Stone.)  Helio and Terra combine the Greek words for sun and earth, natural partners for grape growing.

 

For more information, I highly recommend checking out their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a very light ruby red color.  The soft and feminine nose has cherries, minerals, damp earth, underbrush, strawberry, baking spices, smoke, and a faint, pleasing herbal note.  This has light to medium body, soft, ripe tannins, and very nice acidity.  The palate features spicy, earthy, cherries with nice minerality.  The finish has very nice length with the cherries carrying the major load and the faint herbal note once again coming into play.  This is a lighter body, nuanced style of Pinot, leaning more towards Burgundy than California.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2002 Château Potensac – $18.99

 

My comments

This is a winery I generally turn to for a reasonably priced week night, Bordeaux.  The wines are generally very reflective of the vintage, and are usually well made and very enjoyable without breaking the bank.

 

Winery history

Chateau Potensac is owned by the Delon family.  They are better known for their famous property in St. Julien, Leoville Las Cases.  Located in the Haut Medoc appellation, and Chateau Nenin in Pomerol.  Chateau Potensac has been in the Delon family hands for several generations.  The grandfather of Jean Hubert Delon obtained the estate through marriage, when he married into the Liquard family.  From that time on, Chateau Potensac has been passed down from father to son.

 

The 53 hectare, Bordeaux wine vineyard of Chateau Potensac consists of gravel based soils with patches of clay.  The vineyard is planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc with vines that are on average, 30 years of age.  The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 8,000 vines per hectare.  Over the past several years, in an effort to add softness to the wine, slowly but surely, more Merlot has been added to the vineyards of Chateau Potensac.  Chateau Potensac is vinified in a combination of temperature controlled, stainless steel vats and concrete tanks.  The wines are aged in barrels passed down from Clos du Marquis for between 14 and 16 months, depending on the character and style of the vintage.

 

There is a second wine, La Chapelle Potensac.

 

The wines of Potensac are structured, firm and often display an austere quality, especially in their youth.  Chateau Potensac is the perfect wine for fans of old school, classic Bordeaux wine making.

 

Winery info from the Wine Cellar Insider since the winery’s website is “under construction”.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby, much lighter at the edge.  The seductive nose has cassis, cedar, melted licorice, dried herbs, warm baking spices, cherries, minerals, leather, and tobacco.  This has a medium body with moderate tannins and very good acidity.  The palate features nice fruit and dried herbs, with a healthy dollop of spicy oak.  The finish has decent length with the spicy oak laced fruit carrying most of the load.  Not a show stopper, but a nice wine for the vintage.  This can probably last another year or two in the cellar, but I’d be afraid this would become too oaky if much more fruit subsides.  As is, a nice week night Bordeaux.  (87 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 received a couple bottles from Riverbench and a sampler set from Trione.  Reviews of these wines will be posted when I sample them, probably in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

 

 

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 Groom Shiraz Barossa Valley – $18.05

 

My comments

This wine was offered as an e-mail special about two years ago.  I stopped in for a free taste of the wine and decided I could make some room in the cellar for a six pack.  The wine obviously was made for the long haul and needed some cellar time.  Today is the day to check in to see how it is progressing.

 

Winery history

Marschall Groom Cellars is a very small family winery situated in the famous BarossaValley region of South Australia.  The winery produces three varietals, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz & Zinfandel – under the label GROOM.

 

Marschall Groom Cellars is the culmination of a dream, backed up by many years of talk and family discussion.  The proprietors are David & Jeanette Marschall and their six children, and Daryl & Lisa Groom and their four children.

 

The dream started to become reality with the purchase of 87 acres of bare land in the Kalimna appellation of the BarossaValley, directly adjacent to the renowned Penfolds Kalimna vineyard – the home of Grange.  In 1997 the first acres on our Kalimna Bush Block were planted to Shiraz, producing its first crop in the 1999 vintage.  To complement our young Shiraz fruit we source from one other very reputable high quality vineyard in the Barossa, the Fechner Vineyard which is home to 50 year-old vines.

 

The BarossaValley is too warm to grow world class Sauvignon Blanc.  This variety is ideally suited to much cooler, higher rainfall climates.  After thoroughly researching the climatic conditions within South Australia, a 20 acre vineyard in the Adelaide Hills appellation of Lenswood was planted to provide the perfect grapes for our Sauvignon Blanc.

 

In 2000, 8 acres of experimental Zinfandel vines were planted on the Kalimna Bush Block.  A very limited introductory wine release from these grapes was made from the 2003 vintage. The first Commercial release into the USA was the 2006 vintage.

 

Also working with the company to maintain and ensure our quality standards is Consultant Winemaker, Natasha Mooney; previously the winemaker for E&E Black Pepper Shiraz, and now working closely with Daryl to produce our stunning wines.  Our wines are hand-crafted and produced in limited quantities.

 

Our desire for the GROOM label is to let the vineyards and their fruit do the talking in producing the style and quality of our wines.  As proprietors, we have set the foundation in choosing the most ideal viticultural region needed to produce the highest quality for each of our chosen varieties. ENJOY!

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark ruby to maroon color.  The open and appealing nose has blackberries, plums, minerals, Asian spices, eucalyptus, black pepper, dried herbs, and some leather.  The is medium to full body, with fairly solid, ripe tannins and good acidity.  The palate has rich and velvety fruit with solid minerals and spices.  On the back end some dried herbs and a touch of eucalyptus add considerable depth.  The finish is fairly long with a touch of dark chocolate making an appearance.  This improved considerably with a couple hours of air, so let it sleep another year or let it breathe.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Villa Creek Avenger – $35.00

 

My comments

Villa Creek is one of my favorite wineries and Avenger is my favorite wine they produce.  This is a blend of 65% Syrah, 25% Mourvedre, and 10% Grenache from Paso Robles.  Tis is, unfortunately my last bottle of this vintage, but I have plenty of 2006 through 2010 in the cellar.

 

Winery history

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

 

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color, almost black.  The dark and inviting nose has blackberries, dark chocolate, licorice, black pepper, charred meat, Asian spices, dried herbs, minerals, and some wild flowers as well as a touch of earthiness.  This has a fairly full body, still shows some ripe tannins and has good acidity.  This is not a big, brash, in your face, type of wine at this point in its evolution.  On the palate there are nice dark berries, minerals, spice, with some dried herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish is fairly long highlighting the spice and dried herbs with a touch of earthiness coming into the picture.  This is in a nice drinking window with no rough edges.  This should still last in the cellar for at least two years, but why wait?   (93 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Vincent Arroyo Tempranillo Napa Valley – $25.20

 

My comments

I’ve been on the Vincent Arroyo mailing list since the 2000 vintage.  I was hooked after our first visit to the winery.  I was fortunate enough to get in on a sale of their library wines so I have had the wines from as far back as the 1995 vintage.  If you ever make it to the Calistoga area, I highly recommend a stop at Vincent Arroyo.  They generally have a couple bottles open but the highlight is the barrel tasting.  You have the opportunity to pre-order the exact wines you sample from the barrel.

 

Winery history

Walking into the Vincent Arroyo Winery, one gets the sense that it has been here forever.  Is it just the comfortable atmosphere of a big barn full of oak wine barrels that lends to the sense of permanence?  Vincent Arroyo, himself, may feel like he has been here forever, as well.  He left behind a career as a mechanical engineer in the Silicon Valley during the early 70’s and headed to Calistoga, at the northern tip of the NapaValley.  He felt much more at home close to the land, being able to see and taste the fruits of his labors.

 

The purchase of the 23 acres of the Greenwood Ranch property in 1974 began the evolution of what is seen today, 85 acres cultivating 9 different wine grape varietals.  Vince has always been a farmer at heart, taking care of the land to produce the best that it can.  He began to transform the Greenwood Ranch by ripping out existing prune trees and unhealthy vines and planting new vineyards.  For many years, he did it all alone, the tractor work, cellar work and a one-man sales force.  Originally he made just a few hundred cases of his favorites, Petite Sirah and Cabernet, selling the majority of the grape tonnage to other Napa wineries.  Today, he produces over 8,000 cases of seven different varietals.

 

More information is available at: http://www.vincentarroyo.com/

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby red color.  The slightly reserved nose has black cherries, warm baking spices, licorice, earthy underbrush, wild flowers, dried herbs, and cedar.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine shows cherries with a touch of spicy oak up front with some dried herbs and earthiness coming in on the back end.  The finish is a touch short but again has nice spicy cherries.  I think this is still on the young side.  Hopefully it will add a bit of weight and fill out on the palate and finish with some additional cellar time.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2000 Château Cantenac St. Émilion – $23.99

 

My comments

When I was stocking up on this “vintage of the century”, I was concentrating mainly on wines in the $20 to $40 range.  This, at the time totally unknown to me winery, ended up in my cellar.  I think it’s time to see what mystery lurks in the bottle.  This is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet.

 

Winery history

The vineyard of Château Cantenac stretches over a continuation of the sand-gravel plateau, to the West of the medieval town of Saint-Emilion, surrounding the charming 18th century manor house.  Château Cantenac has a long family tradition and Nicole Roskam-Brunot and her children are continuing to make history, with the passion they bring to their work.

 

If you understand French or can tolerate web based translation better than I can, visit Chateau Catenac’s Website for more information.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color with absolutely no brick in sight.  The very nice nose has cherries, cassis, dried herbs, cigar box, baking spices, fresh ground espresso, and dried flowers.  This has medium body, fairly integrated tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate has nice, spicy, cherries with some dried herbs coming in late.  The finish has good length with the fruit and spice lingering nicely.  This is in a perfect drinking window right now but should hold for a year or two.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

I made a pork tenderloin to serve with the Bordeaux.

 

I made a paste out of olive oil, garlic, and fresh chopped rosemary.  Smeared this on the meat and let it sit for a few hours in the fridge wrapped in plastic.  I then wrapped the tenderloin in bacon.  I know it looks dull and boring, at this point.

 

After some time on the grill on indirect heat and a final blast over the hot coals, this is the finished product.  Looks better, doesn’t it?  Add some sautéed veggies from my wife and we are set for a nice dinner for two.

 

 

 

 

***** 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

 

 

 

 

Music Corner – A new addition

Some favorite songs/videos (known to pair with good wine)

 

Evanescence – Bring Me To Life

 

Kansas – Carry On My Wayward Son

 

Kiss – Beth

 

Moody Blues – I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)

 

The Hooters – All You Zombies

 

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

I think every mailing list imaginable has hit in the last couple of weeks.

 

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

 

Received a sample bottle of 2008 Elyse Le Corbeau Hudson Vineyard.

This will be in the blog in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

 

 

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 Bodegas San Alejandro Garnacha Calatayud Las Rocas Viñas Viejas – $9.50

 

My comments

This 100% Garnacha (Grenache) from Spain is a perennial favorite in my house.  This wine generally leans heavily on the fruity component with the savory elements in the background providing depth and “seasoning”.  This wine is well distributed and generally available for less than the suggested retail price if you shop around or have a good, value oriented, local wine store in the area.

 

Winery history

BODEGAS SAN ALEJANDRO it is a cooperative founded in 1962, formed nowadays by 350 associates and 1100 hectares with a total average production of 4.600.000 Kilos.  It is located in Miedes, place of the province of Saragossa placed to 88 km from the capital, in the valley of the Perejiles, to 758 m. of altitude and with a population of 530 inhabitants.

 

Belonging to the community of Calatayud from the re-conquest of Alfonso I until 1834.  At the centre of its urban neighbourhood rises the church of San Pedro Apóstol made in the mudejar style, which it lies next to the exceptional communal Tower in the gothic style and built using cut-stone masonry.

 

At the beginning of the 17th century, the mudejar-style Convent of the Reverendas Concepcionistas Franciscanas was built, where the remainders of San Alejandro currently remain in honour of whom the main town festivities are held from the 12th to the 16th of May.

 

Finally in 1962 was founded our winery, which logo is inspired in the reliquary venerated by the confraternity more ancient of the village, which is kept in the altar of San Blas’s Church.

 

A great appreciation one´s own part of the country and know-how came together to make the dream of its people possible.  Our insignia is a product of the history of our people, thereby reflecting moderness without distancing ourselves from the roots that allowed us to grow.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The intoxicating nose has cherries, black raspberries, minerals, smoke, dried herbs, Asian spices, cedar, white pepper, and some licorice.  This has medium body, fully integrated tannins, and good acidity.  This is rich and velvety on the palate with a good blend of fruity and savory elements.  The finish is fairly long with the fruit and spice slowly giving way to some dried herbs and subtle earthiness.  This is about as good as it gets at this price point.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Caldora Sangiovese Terre di Chieti IGT – $6.02

 

My comments

Although this wine is nothing too special, this Italian Sangiovese is perfect for some week night pizza or pasta.  Nice red fruit with some earthiness and tart acidity is a perfect companion for an informal dinner at home.  What more could you ask from a $6 wine.

 

Winery history (from the Winery)

Not all our partners’ vineyards are fit to become Caldora’s vineyards; in fact, after a careful selection based on over 1,000 total hectares of land, we have chosen less than 200 hectares of very aged vineyards, with the best clones, located on the best lands.  The working rules of our vineyards are very strict, with a very low yield and rapid working time to face the changes of the climatic conditions.  Then, when the time is best, harvest is carried out by handpicking within only 3 working days to avoid dangerous climatic changes.  To keep the yield low, our partners are paid according to the size of the vineyard, not to the amount of grapes, this radically changes the concept of “co-operative” aiming directly to the final quality of our wines.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color. On the fairly straight forward nose there are cherries, earthy elements, baking spices, violets, licorice, and just a touch of raisin. This has a medium body with soft, ripe tannins and very nice acidity. The palate shows nice tart cherries with some earthiness and spices in the background. The finish has decent length. This is a very straight forward, no frills, Italian Sangiovese with little complexity. That said, for $6, this is fine with some pizza or pasta at home on a week night.  (85 pts)

(Note copied from December 2012 since they were similar)

 

 

 

2010 Claiborne and Churchill Pinot Gris – SRP $18.00

 

My comments

This wine was supplied to me by the SIP Certified organization for me to comment on during an online, Twitter based WineChat.  For more information on the outstanding efforts of SIP (Sustainability in Practice) please visit them at:  SIP Certified

 

This bottle was my introduction to Claiborne & Churchill Vintners.  We are big fans of the dry, Oregon Pinot Gris based wines as well as the ones from the Alsace region in France.  I’m looking forward to trying this one from California’s CentralCoast.

 

Winery history

Claiborne & Churchill is a small, family-owned winery founded in 1983 by Claiborne (Clay) Thompson and Fredericka Churchill.  Former teachers at the University of Michigan (Clay specialized in Old Norse Languages and Literatures and Fredericka taught German), the couple left the “Groves of Academe” for the vineyards of California in 1981 in order to start a new life in the wine industry.  Clay began as a “cellar rat” in a local winery, learning the business from the ground up (actually underground), and soon the two were encouraged to start their own wine production in that host facility.

 

With its first crush in 1983 Claiborne & Churchill announced its special focus, producing 565 cases of Dry Gewürztraminer and Dry Riesling, modeled on the fruity but dry dinner wines of the French province of Alsace.  Claiborne & Churchill now produces about 10,000 cases of wine a year, purchasing grapes from vineyards in the cool maritime valleys of California’s CentralCoast.  About two-thirds of these wines remain our signature wines, the Dry Riesling and Dry Gewürztraminer, which are sold all over the country (and abroad) by a network of brokers and distributors.  A variety of other wines, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as other wines in the Alsatian style (Pinot Gris, Dry Muscat, and an Edelzwicker), are produced in small lots and can be ordered directly from the winery.

 

In 1995 Clay and Fredericka completed construction on their new and permanent winery building.  This structure, a noteworthy example of environmental architecture, is a “straw bale building,” the first of its kind in California.  With sixteen-inch thick walls made of bales of rice straw, the winery is so well insulated that it maintains a constant cellar temperature, without the need for mechanical cooling or heating.

 

At Claiborne & Churchill traditional European winemaking techniques prevail, including extensive use of barrel-fermentation and barrel-aging (even with Riesling and Gewürztraminer), minimal manipulation of juice and wine, “natural” or spontaneous fermentation using indigenous yeast, and limited use of SO2, all in the belief that the winemaker’s task is to bring out the flavor and character that is latent in the grape.  Our aim is to create pleasurable dinner wines in which there is a harmonious balance of fruit and oak, structure and texture.

 

For much more information, visit:  Claiborne & Churchill Website

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a pale yellow with a golden tint.  The fresh smelling nose has apples, spices, melon, citrus zest, fresh Spring flowers, and a healthy dollop of minerals.  The wine is dry with a light to medium body and very good acidity.  On the palate the wine is dry but shows nice ripe and rich fruit with good citrusy acidity.  The long finish is full of nice fruit and spice.  This is a very nicely balanced wine.  Don’t serve this one too cold, cool room temperature is best.  One of the better Pinot Gris wines I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy.  This is a SIP Certified wine, which stands for “Sustainability in Practice”.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Stolpman Syrah Estate Grown – $19.99

 

My comments

I’m always in the mood for a good Syrah, and the ones from Stolpman definitely fall in that category.  The Stolpman Estate Syrah is consistently very good to outstanding, generally offering high quality at a very reasonable price.  This is generally a wine that greatly rewards a couple ears in the cellar.  I’m looking forward to checking in to see how this wine is progressing.

 

Winery history

Tom and Marilyn Stolpman founded Stolpman Vineyards in 1990 after making the decision that Marilyn’s dream of an “investment we can enjoy” could include finding the perfect piece of property that could grow world-class wine grapes.  Tom was seeking out Limestone hills in a cool, maritime climate.  Until 1997, when Stolpman produced its first wines, all of the grapes were sold to other wineries including the cult hits of Sine Qua Non & Ojai Vineyards.  In 2001 winemaker Sashi Moorman came aboard and began working closely with Vineyard Manager Ruben Solorzano to increase the quality of the fruit going to the winery, including experimentation with dry-farming & high density plantings.

 

After decades of careful development, Stolpman Vineyards now bottles wine from approximately 90% of the 152 acres under vine.  Through extensive experimentation with many varietals, the team has perfected its offerings of Syrah, Roussanne, Sangiovese and Sauvignon Blanc.  Limited plantings of Grenache, Viognier, Petite Sirah, and Chardonnay serve as blending grapes.  The very best limited production wines including Angeli, La Croce, and Ruben’s Block are generally only available to the Stolpman Vineyards Wine Club.

 

Today, Tom’s son Peter Stolpman manages the tightly knit family operation dedicated to making world-class wines.  The team never rests in pushing the envelope of quality through organic dry farming and the meticulous work of Stolpman’s vineyard crew, “La Cuadrilla”.

 

Much more information is available at Stolpman Vineyards website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep maroon color.  The very open and inviting nose has blackberries, minerals, Freshly ground espresso, smoked meat, black pepper, baking spices, licorice, dark chocolate, and violets, with just a touch of earthiness.  This is fairly full bodied with fairly solid tannins and good acidity.  The palate features spicy berries with dark chocolate and spicy oak coming in on the back end.  The finish is fairly long with fresh ground espresso and dark chocolate lingering on after the spicy fruit fades away.  This is entering a nice drinking window and should hold for a few years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2003 Domaine du Gros’ Noré Bandol – $19.99

 

My comments

I bought a bottle of this wine as soon as it hit the shelf at the local wine store.  I liked it so much I grabbed a case.  Unfortunately, we liked it so much, this is my last bottle.  Every bottle has been very good, so I have high expectations for this one.

 

Winery history

Owner Alain Pascal has 16 ha of vines in the prime sector of Cadiere d’Azur.  They have an average age of 30 years.  The first official vintage released was 1997.  Prior to this, Alain’s father, Honore (his name is shortened to ‘Nore to give the name of the Domaine as Gros Noré = Fat Honore) worked the vineyards but never made his own wine.  Instead he sold the grapes to another leading Bandol producer at that time, Chateau de Pibarnon.

 

Bandol is regarded as the First Growth of Provence producing the most serious, and well known, wines of Provence.  The Mourvèdre grape variety is the basis of great Bandol with appellation laws requiring a minimum of 50% for the red wines (though many use up to 100% for some cuvees).  As well as Mourvèdre (80%), the Gros’ Noré red also has a dash of Grenache (15%), and old vine Cinsault (5%).  The wine is aged for 18 months in old 60 hl wooden barrels (foudres).  There are no new barriques used.  Only one cuvee of red wine is produced, and it is bottled without fining or filtration.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby with a touch of brick especially at the edge.  The stunning nose has plums, minerals, cherries, worn leather, Asian spices, dried herbs, earthy underbrush, eucalyptus, dark chocolate, and a touch of smoke.  This has medium body with ripe, integrated tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the wine shows spicy, mineral laden, fruit with dried herbs up front, on the back end a touch of mint and dark chocolate enter the picture.  The mint, dark chocolate, and a touch of earthiness linger nicely on the fairly long finish.  This is in a nice drinking window and I don’t envision much improvement with additional cellar time.  Enjoy over the next year, maybe two.  (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

 

 

 

Music Corner – A new addition

Some favorite songs/videos (known to pair with good wine)

 

The Hollies – Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress

 

Procol Harum – A Whiter Shade Of Pale

 

The Moody Blues – Nights In White Satin

 

Emerson Lake & Palmer – Lucky Man (live)

 

Greg Lake – Still You Turn Me On

 

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

It seems like every winery sent out their offers at the same time this year.  It’s time for me to cut back, so a few offers have already found their way into the “deleted” folder.  If you are on any waiting lists, I’m dong my part to get you an allocation.

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

It’s been a quiet week, but I am expecting a delivery tomorrow unless our impending snow storm causes a delay.

 

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

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

 

Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines.  I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar.  I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com.  Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear.  There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive.  I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

2010 La Rochelle Chardonnay Ferrington Vineyard (SRP $65.00)

2009 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands (SRP $38.00)

 

(Based on bottles supplied by the winery)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

La Rochelle is part of the Steven Kent Portfolio of wine.

 

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

 

My family introduced the Pinot Noir grape to California in the 1850s.  Today, we partner with the state’s most renowned Pinot Noir vineyards – Garys’. Sleepy Hollow. Rosella’s. Londer. Paraiso. Tondre. Ferrington. Deer Park.  We craft Pinot Noir 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 Pinot Noir vineyards and translate those exceptional estates into limited releases worthy of our heritage.

 

If your passion is Pinot, then your journey has led you to the right place… –  Steven Kent Mirassou

 

 

 

Sign up for the La Rochelle Mailing List

 

 

More Winery Information

 

 

 

2010 La Rochelle Chardonnay Ferrington Vineyard (SRP $65.00)

 

 

Ferrington Vineyard

 

Ferrington Vineyard is home to our only Anderson Valley Chardonnay site as of 2012.  Located near Boonville, on the same side of Hwy 128 as Deer Meadow, Ferrington was originally planted in the late 1960s.  The 70 acre site is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewurztraminer on decomposed sandstone and clay soils.  In 2010 we entered into a contract to purchase about two tons of Robert Young clone of Chardonnay, and the first vintage yielded just over 100 cases.  Ferrington was purchased by the Schoeneman family in 1997 and it has since become one of the most sought after sites in AndersonValley.  We gained access to Pinot Noir from this site starting in 2012.

 

 

Technical info

The grapes were harvested for this 100% Chardonnay on October 18, 2010.  This was barrel fermented and aged sur-lie for 14 months in 100% French oak barrels, 40% new.

 

The final alcohol is 14.6%.

 

 

Tasting note

The wine is a very light yellow to golden color.  The very exotic and inviting nose has apples, flinty minerals, lemon curd, lime zest, Asian spices, hazelnuts, and a touch of toast.  This has medium body and tart, citrusy acidity.  Bright apples and citrus greet the palate with minerals, spice, hazelnuts pouring in over the top and from all sides.  The finish is very long with the spicy, citrus driven, fruit and spice seeming to never totally fade away, leaving a nutty, lemony note.  This is incredibly young at this time and will improve with some cellar time.  One of the best California Chardonnay wines I’ve ever had the pleasure to drink.  This is stunning.  (95 pts)

 

 

2009 La Rochelle Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands (SRP $38.00)

 

Santa Lucia Highlands

 

One of the most exciting Pinot Noir appellations in the world, this slender hillside growing area extends roughly 18 miles northwest to southeast in MontereyCounty.  Cooled by wind from the Pacific ocean just a mountain chain to the west and gaining ripening sun from its elevated exposures, the Santa Lucia Highlands is home to some of the most profound Pinots now being made.  La Rochelle works with a number of vineyards spanning the entire length of the appellation.  Each wine we produce has its own special site-driven notes.  They all share, however, the passion of the people who farm them.

 

 

Technical info

This wine is 100% Pinot Noir.  The vineyards used are Paraiso (31.3%), Sarmento (31.2%), White Sage (12.5%), Tondre Grapefield (12.5%), and Mission Ranch (12.5%).

 

The wine was aged 31 months in 100% French oak, 40% new and 60% second use.

 

The alcohol is 15.2%.

 

Tasting note

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The dark and enticing nose has cherries, earthy underbrush, wood smoke, cola, minerals, warm baking spices, black raspberries, dark chocolate, and a touch orange zest.  This has medium body, ripe, velvety tannins, and very good acidity.  Earthy cherries, baking spices, and minerals grab the palate initially, slowly allowing some cola, black raspberries, and spicy oak to add considerable depth.  The finish has very nice length with earthy fruit and spice slowly fading away.  This is very young and deserves some cellar time to open up and fill out.  (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

 

 

 

 

 

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 Myriad Cellars Syrah Las Madres Vineyard – $38.00

 

My comments

This is a mailing list I jumped on based on the top flight labels Mike Smith had worked with in his brief career.  Even though I have several vintages in the cellar, this will be my first Myriad Syrah.  I have had and greatly enjoyed their Cabernet Sauvignon wines over the past year or two.

 

Winery history

“Sometimes success is as simple as hearing your inner voice.”

 

Mike started his winemaking career under the direction of Thomas Brown in 2001.   Traveling from PortlandOregon, Mike worked each crush “free of charge” to learn his craft.  Following his 3rd harvest, Mike accepted a full-time assistant position from Thomas and moved his family to St. Helena.  Today, Mike continues to work with Thomas on several labels (i.e. Schrader, Rivers-Marie, Maybach & Tamber Bey).  The Myriad wines are custom crushed along side these greats…  showcasing Mike’s talents and stylistic “purist” approach to winemaking.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby color, lighter at the edge.  The outstanding nose has blackberries, black olives, charred meat, roasted herbs, dark chocolate, minerals, plums, black pepper, with some road tar and earthiness.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the fruit takes a back seat to the savory elements, adding a nice crushed berry element on the mid palate before some savory roasted herbs and meat juices take over.  The long finish is again highlighted by the meat juices, olives and roasted herbs with the fruit adding nice sweetness.  An excellent example of a wine that puts the fruit in the back seat and allows the savory elements to drive.  My style of wine.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Treasure Hunter Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Panjanatan Paso Robles – $19.79

 

My comments

I grabbed several bottles of this wine, since a social media friend, Mark Adams, was the wine maker.  I’m glad I loaded up since the past few bottles have all be very good.  It’s always nice to get a good Cabernet for under $20.

 

Winery history

Each Treasure Hunter wine goes through a pain-staking process of examination from our panel of nine called The De-Vine Nine.  Made up of top sommeliers, winemakers and restaurateurs, they are the best of the best and they pour through hundreds of wines before they are deemed worthy.

 

Each wine is a small one-time offering and represents an extraordinary opportunity to drink seminal wines of great importance.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby to maroon color.  The deep and dark nose has blackberries, cassis, cedar, dried herbs, minerals, smoke, licorice, baking spices, and violets.  This has medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and good acidity.  The wine is rich and velvety on the palate with spicy fruit, dried herbs, and minerals leading the way.  The finish is fairly long with nice spicy fruit, dried herbs, and a touch of earthiness slowly fading away.  A nice, rich, but not over the top Cabernet from Paso Robles.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Saxum Broken Stones – $45.00

 

My comments

I was a big fan of Saxum wines long before a certain wine publication brought them to everyone’s attention by naming one of their wines the Wine of the Year a couple years ago.  This wine was always a steal at the release price of $45.  Eventually the winery also noted this and the wine now is released for about $90.  The wine is usually outstanding, but my purchases have been cut back a bit because I just don’t need a boat load of $100 wine in the cellar.

 

Winery history

Saxum Vineyards is focused on producing Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre based blends from the Templeton Gap/Willow Creek area of Paso Robles.  We let our rocky calcareous soils, steep hillsides, sunny days, and cooling ocean breezes speak through our wines by keeping our yields low, picking the fruit at the peak of ripeness, and using a minimalist approach in the cellar.  We respect our land and farm everything sustainably without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides.  Because our vine’s roots penetrate deep through the fissures in the calcareous soil irrigation is rarely needed.  Production is kept at 3000-4000 cases a year divided between seven different cuvees, Broken Stones, James Berry Vineyard, Bone Rock, Booker Vineyards, Paderewski Vineyard, Heart Stone Vineyard and Terry Hoage Vineyard.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep violet color.  The very enticing nose has blackberries, minerals, earthy underbrush, roasted herbs, meat juices, cherries, licorice, dark chocolate, warm baking spices, black peppercorns, and smoke.  This has a fairly full body with solid, ripe tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate this is big and ripe but held together perfectly by the acidity and well supported by the tannins, providing a well balanced wine.  The flavors reveal themselves layer by layer.  The finish is very long and loaded with complexity, the closing notes of dark chocolate and spicy, earthy, cherries seem to never fully fade.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc – $6.64

 

My comments

I grabbed a few of these on close out at the local wine store.  I wanted to try one to see if I should grab some more to last through the upcoming Spring/Summer seasons.  This is a blend of 64.3% Roussanne and 35.7% Grenache Blanc from the Beeswax Vineyard in Arroyo Seco.

 

Winery history

With his family’s assistance, Randall purchased property in the Santa CruzMountains in a magically quaint area known as Bonny Doon, intent on producing the Great American Pinot Noir.  The GAPN proved to be systematically elusive, but he was greatly encouraged by experimental batches of Rhône varieties.  The late, great Bonny Doon Estate Vineyard (1981 – 1994, a tragic victim to Pierce’s Disease) was eventually planted to Syrah, “Roussanne,” Marsanne, and Viognier and produced achingly beautiful wines, confirming that California’s temperate climate is well suited to the sun-loving grapes of the Mediterranean. In 1986, Bonny Doon Vineyard released the inaugural vintage (1984) of Le Cigare Volant, an homage to Châteauneuf-duPape

 

My Tasting Note

A very nice looking light yellow to golden color.  The fresh smelling nose has honeysuckle, beeswax, apples, minerals, spices, pears, lemon zest, peaches, orange blossoms, and a touch of honey.  This is light to medium body, is dry, and has good acidity.  Nice tart fruit, minerals, and spice take center stage on the palate with lemon zest and peaches coming in on the back end.  The finish is fairly long with a big streak of minerality hanging on seemingly forever.  Don’t serve this too cold, it’s much better at a cool room temperature.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Honig Cabernet Sauvignon Bartolucci – $37.99

 

My comments

Another wine that was purchased locally at a close out sale.  See, you can get great deals if you become friendly with a local wine store.  I am lucky enough to have a local store that scours the distributors close out lists for gems like this to offer at great prices.  I paid well under $40 a bottle for this wine, the average cost on Cellar Tracker for this is about $70.

 

Winery history

In 1964, Louis Honig purchased a 68-acre ranch in the heart of the NapaValley and planted it with Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.  He sold the fruit to neighboring wineries with the dream of retiring one day from his San Francisco advertising business and making wine from his vineyard in Rutherford.  Before he could realize his dream, Louis passed away, leaving the estate to his children and grandchildren.  In 1981, as a tribute to his legacy, the family rallied together to produce several hundred cases of Louis Honig Sauvignon Blanc in the vineyard’s old tractor barn.  The wine won a Gold Medal at the Orange County Fair, and thus, the winery was born.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color.  The very pleasing and soothing nose has cassis, cherry, cedar, baking spices, smoke, dried herbs, leather, and violets.  This has a medium body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate the wine has nice spicy fruit and dried herbs with no notes from overly ripe fruit or aggressive, over extraction.  The finish has very nice length.  This is in a prime drinking window and is one of the better 2005 Cabernets from the NapaValley.  (92 pts)

 

Sorry for the low quality picture, this has to be one of the worst labels out there to try and photograph.

 

 

 

Super Sunday in Wisconsin, fire up the grill even in 12 degree temperatures on a snow covered deck.

 

 

 

 

***** 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!

 

 

 

2008 Core Grenache Reserve Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard – $20.59

 

My comments

I had a bottle of the outstanding 2008 Core Grenache Santa Barbara County in December, so I decided it was time to try this reserve wine.  The regular Grenache found a spot on my Top 10 QPR Wines of 2012.

 

Winery history

Dave Corey’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Biology from San Jose State University and a master’s degree in Entomology and Plant Physiology from Kansas State University, which was completed in 1995.

 

Prior to entering the wine industry in 1996, Dave worked in Salinas and the Central Valley in agricultural fields including cole crops, cotton, almonds, citrus, walnuts, kiwi, table grapes, apples and stone fruit.  His first position in the wine industry was as a Pest Control Advisor with Cambria Winery and Vineyards and later at Kendall-Jackson Vineyards of Santa Barbara County.

 

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

 

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

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light to medium ruby red, much lighter at the edge.  The very nice nose has cherries, dried herbs, black raspberries, baking spices, black pepper, and a touch of licorice.  This has a medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate this initially tastes like cherry pie, then the dried herbs and more spice kick in adding depth and balancing out the fruity elements.  This has very nice length with the spicy cherries and dried herbs very slowly fading.  This is a very nice California Grenache that may not appeal to someone looking for a Southern Rhone styled wine, but for the rest, this will have considerable appeal.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2008 McPrice Myers Beautiful Earth – $28.80

 

My comments

A blend of 79% Syrah, 16% Grenache, and 5% Mourvedre from Paso Robles.

 

Winery history

We work.  We work hard to make good wine.  You work.  You work hard and need good wine.  You might have money, but maybe you’re like us.  We make McPrice Myers wines for people like us.  If you work, and we mean work hard, and you need to drink good wine, and still make your mortgage payments, car payments, kid payments and pet payments, we’re here for you.  Our goal is to make wine that works hard at helping hard working America relax for a minute, take a load off, and remove the nose from the grindstone for a while.  We hope you enjoy them.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, ruby color.  The deep and dark nose has blackberries, dark chocolate, vanilla, black pepper, blueberries, cherries, dried herbs, wood smoke, earthy underbrush, dried flowers, and baking spices.  This has a very full body, big, solid tannins and decent acidity.  This is a massive wine on the palate loaded with spicy crushed berries, black pepper, dark chocolate, and dried herbs.  The long finish is a reflection of the palate with some earthiness also popping out.  Nothing timid about this in your face wine.  European, old world, palates should just move along.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Wine Guerrilla Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley – $15.19

 

My comments

We went through a half case of the 2007 vintage of this wine.  Every bottle rated in the low 90 point range, a great rating for a sub $13 Dry Creek Zin.  This will be my first bottle of this vintage.  I’m not expecting it to be up to the level of the 2007, but who know.

 

Winery history

Wine Guerrilla – The Art and Soul of Zinfandel

 

Snooth.com calls Wine Guerrilla the Defender of Old Vine Zinfandel

 

“Wine Guerrilla is a specialist operation run by Bruce Patch who is intent on sourcing great fruit from some of Sonoma’s best vineyards to create wines that are true to their origins and that express the intensity and richness that Zinfandel is famous for.”

 

Our single vineyard wines are sourced from renowned small Dry Creek, RussianRiver, AlexanderValley and SonomaValley vineyards.

 

Open a bottle today and join the Revolution!

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color.  The bright nose features cherries, brambly berries, earthy underbrush, black pepper, dried herbs, and a touch of dark chocolate.  This is fairly full bodied with sold tannins and tart acidity.  The palate shows tart cherries and berries with some pepper and spice.  The finish has decent length with some dried herbs adding a nice element to the tart fruit.  This is a tough wine to judge, it just doesn’t taste like a zinfandel.  The acidity is much brighter than I expected and even with the elevated (15.7%) alcohol the wine isn’t as rich as expected.  Served blind I could have easily guessed this was a Grenache from a cooler region.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Bouchaine Pinot Noir Carneros – $14.24

 

My comments

The local store was having a blow out sale and this was one of their wines on sale for a big discount.  This was the last bottle they had, so I had to grab it.  Let’s see…nice winery, good region, great vintage, about half off of release price… how could I pass.

 

Winery history

Bouchaine Vineyards inhabits the oldest continually operated winery in the Carneros wine region.  The site was first planted to vines and orchards in the mid-1800s by pioneer Boon Fly.  In 1927, before the end of Prohibition, the property was purchased by Italian immigrant, Johnny Garetto.  After the Repeal he operated perhaps the first winery with a tasting room in the region.

 

Garetto shipped his wine to San Francisco and elsewhere from Buchli Station, a historic railway station located at the end of the road of the same name and the address of the Bouchaine property.

 

Garetto sold the ranch to Beringer Brothers in 1951.  Beringer used the winemaking facility for the next thirty years making upgrades along the way.  In 1981 Gerret and Tatiana Copeland, residents of Wilmington Delaware and long time admirers of the wines of Burgundy, purchased the facility from Beringer and established Bouchaine Vineyards.  A massive renovation was completed in 1995 updating the winemaking facility with new technology and refurbishing the entire facility in a rustic style that garnered numerous awards from historic and architectural organizations.

 

The most noteworthy change in winemaking style has occurred recently with the hiring of Michael Richmond as winemaker and general manager.  Mike Richmond has over 30 years experience in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir production in the Carneros including his founding Acacia Winery.  He and the Bouchaine winemaking team have updated both farming and winemaking to bring the wines to a new standard of excellence.

 

My Tasting Note

Removing the capsule revealed a red stain covering most he the top of the cork, never a good sign.  The wine is a medium ruby red with a some bricking especially at the edge.  The slightly reserved nose has cherries, baking spices, subtle earthiness, plum, and tobacco.  This is barely medium body with silky tannins and very good acidity.  Much more open and lively than the nose lead me to expect with bright, spicy cherries with a nice earthy streak.  Decent length on the palate which closes with just a slight herbal note.  Not a lot of complexity, but this was a steal on the close out rack for under $15.  I wish I had a few more to get me through the remainder of the year.  (88 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!