2008 Villa Creek Avenger

2007 Copain Syrah Tous Ensemble

2007 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2009 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Home Ranch

 

 

2008 Villa Creek Avenger – $29.75

 

My comments

The Avenger is my favorite wine from the Paso Robles based Villa Creek.  This is generally a full bodied, big boned, and brawny Rhone Ranger blend.  This vintage is a blend of 70% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre and 15% Grenache from the Booker Vineyard in Paso Robles.  I have been and probably will always be a big fan of this winery.  This is the last winery that I get an automatic shipment at every release and usually add on extra bottles.  In my house, there is no such thing as having too much Villa Creek 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.

 

Much more information is available on their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, ruby red color.  The sexy and inviting nose has black raspberries, graphite, incense, cherries, plums, fresh wild flowers, melted licorice, vanilla, dark chocolate, and some subtle earthiness.  This has a full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  On the palate, besides a load of nice fruit, there are abundant amounts of dark chocolate, pepper, vanilla, and a floral element.  The finish is very long and highlighted by juicy, crushed berries, dark chocolate, and a some earthiness.  This is still on the young side and improved greatly with some air.  No hurry on this one, enjoy it over the rest of the decade.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Copain Syrah Tous Ensemble Mendocino County – $25.00

 

My comments

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

 

This Syrah is a blend of grapes from Alder Springs, Eaglepoint Ranch, Hawks Butte and McDowell Valley vineyards in Mendocino County.

 

Winery history

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice garnet color.  The easy going nose has blackberries, red raspberries, minerals, warm baking spices, black pepper, smoked meat, vanilla, and fresh wild flowers.  This has medium body, fairly well integrated tannins, and very nice acidity.  The palate is lead by mineral laden fruit, black pepper, and a meaty element.  The finish has nice length and adds a touch of dark chocolate.  This is in its prime drinking window and I’d recommend opening this one over the next year, maybe two.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast – $35.00

 

My comments

I’ve been on the Rhys mailing list for a few years.  A lot of people knock the wines because they don’t taste great upon release.  Rhys wines require a few years in the cellar to smoothen out and open up.  That said, their Alesia wines, which are made from purchased grapes, though also needing some time in the cellar, seem to be ready to drink a couple years earlier.  I grabbed several bottles of this wine when it was offered on their e-mail release.  I’ve had a couple bottles and every bottle has been better than the previous bottle…always a good sign.

 

Winery history

While much of our focus is on winegrowing for our Rhys estate-managed vineyards, we also enjoy exploring distinctive California locations outside the Santa Cruz Mountains.  In particular we love the seductive beauty of Pinot Noir and Syrah from the Sonoma Coast and the utterly unique expression of Syrah from the Santa Lucia Highlands.  We call these wines made from purchased grapes “Alesia.”

 

Each Alesia wine is made with the same philosophy as our estate grown wines – concentration from low yields and pure, fresh fruit flavors.

 

More information on Rhys and Alesia is available at:  http://www.rhysvineyards.com/index.html

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright, ruby red color.  The very open and appealing nose has cherries, baking spices, minerals, smoke, white pepper, underbrush, raspberries, wild flowers, and earth.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate has tart cherries, juicy raspberries, loads of minerals, white pepper, and just enough earthiness to add a lot of appeal.  The finish has decent length with nice spicy, earth driven fruit, but it would have been nice if it was a touch fuller and a little longer, but those are minor quibbles.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Home Ranch – $32.29

 

My comments

I’m not really a point chaser since I buy a lot of my wine from smaller wineries who don’t even submit their wines for review by the big publications.  A lot of the “big name” wineries I buy from are the ones I “found” before they started getting the big scores.  That said, even though I have been a fan of Seghesio wines for several years, I bought this specific wine simply because it received a high score and was listed as the number 12 wine on the Wine Spectator “Top 100 Wines of 2011”.

 

Winery history

The Seghesio story begins in 1886, when Edoardo Seghesio departed his family’s vineyards in Piedmont, Italy, for a new life in America.  Like so many immigrants, he was drawn to Northern Sonoma County and the Italian Swiss Colony to follow his passion for winemaking.  The “Colony,” as it was known, hired immigrants for three-year stints, providing room and board, and a lump sum at the end of those three years enabling employees to buy land or set up a business in their new homeland.

 

Edoardo quickly rose through the ranks to winemaker, yet he yearned for home.  The Colony’s manager repeatedly encouraged him to stay, and finally, it was the manager’s niece and the opportunity to purchase land that convinced Edoardo to remain.  That young girl, Angela Vasconi, and Edoardo were married in 1893.  In 1895, they purchased a modest home in northern Alexander Valley, more for the surrounding 56 acres Edoardo recognized as ideal vineyard land than for the home itself.  They planted the Home Ranch that year to what became the family’s lifeline—Zinfandel.

 

Much more information is available on their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a couple notches darker than a medium ruby red.  The stunning nose has cherries, baking spices, vanilla, black peppercorns, black raspberries, violets, and a touch of road tar and dark chocolate.  This has a medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate has a nice fruity base but plenty of savory elements to steer well clear of being called a fruit bomb.  The finish is long and lingering with cherries, vanilla, black pepper, and a touch of dark chocolate.  This is a touch on the young side, but absolutely delicious.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

Winery Owners:

If any smaller domestic wineries are looking for distribution in MN, IA, IL and WI, shoot me an e-mail to cliff@CliffsWinePicks.com.  I know a smaller wholesaler with divisions in those states looking to expand.

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

It has been a busy week receiving wine.  Shipments from Carlisle and Jean Edwards arrived.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

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

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but 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!