Cliffs Wine Picks – May 3, 2013 to May 5, 2013
2007 Ridge Geyserville
2006 Copain Syrah Madder Lake
1998 Bert Simon Serriger Würtzberg Riesling Spätlese
2007 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc
2008 Big Basin Vineyards Grenache/Syrah Booker Vineyard
2007 Ridge Geyserville – $26.59
My comments
I always have a hard time choosing a favorite between the Ridge Lytton Springs and the Ridge Geyserville wines. Both are zinfandel based blends but since Zinfandel generally constitutes less than 75% of the blend, they aren’t labeled as a Zinfandel. This vintage is a blend of 58% Zinfandel, 22% Carignane, 18% Petite Sirah, 2% Mataro (Mourvedre). This wine is disappearing from my cellar at a fairly fast rate of speed, of the 15 bottles I bought, I now have less than half remaining.
Winery history
The history of Ridge Vineyards begins in 1885, when Osea Perrone, a doctor who became a prominent member of San Francisco’s Italian community, bought 180 acres near the top of Monte Bello Ridge. He terraced the slopes and planted vineyards; using native limestone, he constructed the Monte Bello Winery, producing the first vintage under that name in 1892. This unique cellar, built into the mountainside on three levels, is Ridge’s production facility. At 2600′, it is surrounded by the “upper vineyard.”
In the 1940s, William Short, a theologian, bought the abandoned winery and vineyard just below the Perrone property; he replanted several parcels to Cabernet Sauvignon in the late 1940s. From these vines — now the “middle vineyard”— new owners Dave Bennion and his three partners, all Stanford Research Institute engineers, made a quarter-barrel of “estate” cabernet. That Monte Bello Cabernet was among California’s finest wines of the era. Its quality and distinctive character, and the wines produced from these same vines in 1960 and ’61, convinced the partners to re-bond the winery in time for the 1962 vintage.
The first zinfandel was made in 1964, from a small nineteenth-century vineyard farther down the ridge. This was followed in 1966 by the first Geyserville zinfandel. The founding families reclaimed the Monte Bello terraces, increasing vineyard size from fifteen to forty-five acres. Working on weekends, they made wines of regional character and unprecedented intensity. By 1968, production had increased to just under three thousand cases per year, and in 1969, Paul Draper joined the partnership. A Stanford graduate in philosophy—recently returned from setting up a winery in Chile’s coast range—he was a practical winemaker, not an enologist. His knowledge of fine wines and traditional methods complemented the straightforward “hands off” approach pioneered at Ridge. Under his guidance the old Perrone winery (acquired the previous year) was restored, the finest vineyard lands leased or purchased, the consistent quality and international reputation of the wines established. Cabernet and Zinfandel account for most of the production; Syrah, Grenache, Carignane, and Petite Sirah constitute a small percentage. Known primarily for its red wines, Ridge has also made limited amounts of chardonnay since 1962.
Lytton Springs, in SonomaCounty, became part of the Ridge estate in 1991. A quarter century’s experience with this vineyard had convinced us that it was an exceptional piece of ground. Forty consecutive vintages of Geyserville attest to yet another stunning combination of location and varietals. Though born in the early sixties to the post-Prohibition world of modern California winemaking, Ridge relies on nature and tradition rather than technology. Our approach is straightforward: find intense, flavorful grapes; intrude upon the process only when necessary; draw the fruit’s distinctive character and richness into the wine.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color. The very enticing nose has brambly berries, cherry, black pepper, licorice, warm baking spices, charred meat, forest floor, and a touch of vanilla. This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity. The palate has nice up front fruit and spice with more spice, licorice, and meaty elements coming in on the back end. The finish is long with spice laden fruit slowly giving way to more earthy elements that seem to linger forever. This still seems to be on the young side but is still very enjoyable. (92 pts)
2006 Copain Syrah Madder Lake – $25.00
My comments
Until they moved into their “Tous Ensemble” line of appellation based wines, this was always the lowest priced wine offered by Copain, which made it a real easy wine to grab when it was offered. This has been a frustrating wine over the years, every bottle was always enjoyable but seemed to need another year in the cellar, no matter how long you waited. This was usually the most restrained offering from Copain’s Syrah program.
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 fairly deep purple color. The enjoyable nose has blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, roasted herbs, dark chocolate, vanilla, and a nice floral note. This has medium to full body, fairly solid ripe tannins, and good acidity. On the palate smoky, meaty berries grab hold first, eventually allowing roasted herbs and dark chocolate to slip into the picture. The finish has nice length and closes with a touch of spicy oak that gets a touch too prominent. A very nice wine from the Copain mailing list for $25, but I wish the oak would integrate a little better on the finish. (90 pts)
1998 Bert Simon Serriger Würtzberg Riesling Spätlese – $19.99
My comments
For a die hard fan of well aged Rieslings, Garagiste Wine out of Washington is a blessing. They are able to source and sell wines with a decade or more of time in the bottle for less than the current vintages are selling for in the marketplace.
Winery history
In the years 1900 through 1905 the Prussian Minister of Agriculture Baron von Schorlemer acquired the vineyards at Serrig for 197,000 gold marks. Striving to elevate the quality level of the estate to his demanding standards, the Baron spent additional money on improvements, including reinforcement of the steep vineyards with over 6,500 cubic yards of rock walls. Always focused on quality, the von Schorlemer estate was a founding member of Der Grosse Ring.
The present owner, Bert Simon, whose family was for many years involved in viticulture in the village of Mertesdorf on the Ruwer, has continued this tradition of constant improvement. In 1968, as a young enologist, Bert Simon acquired the von Schorlemer vineyards Serriger Herrenberg and Serriger Würtzberg. Both vineyard sites are monopole sites of the estate and almost all the vines are planted on steeply sloping hillsides. A total of 16ha or about 40 acres are under vines.
The Würtzberg has an incline of up to 75 degrees and its soil consists also of red and blue slate, but has larger amounts of sandstone and clay mixed in. This results in weightier, broader, more full bodied wines. They tend to be ready to drink at an earlier age and have a well integrated acidity.
The estate produces approximately 12,000 cases in an average year.
My Tasting Note
Not a good sign, the cork was wet under the capsule. Upon slow extraction, the cork was soft and very soggy, another bad sign. As soon as the cork popped free, the room was filled with honey, apples, and petrol, now that was a great sign! The wine is a light golden yellow color. The wine was not sparkling, but there were a lot of bubbles clinging to the inside of the glass. The fresh and lively nose has apples, honey, petrol, orange blossoms, minerals, juicy pears, lemon zest, and a touch of white peach. This has light to medium body, crisp acidity, and a nice sweet richness. Loads of sweet fruit and minerals engulf the palate until the slow building orange and lemon acidity kicks in to balance everything out. The finish is fairly long with the minerals and citrus carrying the load and the fruit providing nice sweetness in the background. This 15 year old Riesling is still very fresh on the nose and palate, this can easily last for another decade in the cellar. (94 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 in January. I wanted to try one to see if I should grab some more to last through the upcoming Spring/Summer seasons. I was a more than a bit leery about buying a six year old wine of unknown provenance. Those fears were put to rest as soon as I had my first sip. 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 Cruz Mountains 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
The wine is a glistening yellow to gold color. The Spring breeze like nose has honeysuckle, beeswax, minerals, apples, lemon zest, white peaches, orange blossoms, and spice. This has light to medium body and very good acidity. On the palate tart apples and pears loaded with stony minerals hit first followed by nice citrusy acidity. The finish is fairly long with a touch of juicy peach adding a little something extra. (91 pts)
2008 Big Basin Vineyards Grenache/Syrah Booker Vineyard – $43.00
My comments
As I’ve said in the past, I think Big Basin is one big score from one of the major wine reviewing periodicals away from appearing everyone’s radar. I’ve been a big fan of Big Basin’s Syrah wines and blends for a few years. I would highly recommend checking them out. This is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah from the Booker Vineyard in Paso Robles.
Winery history
Big Basin Vineyards was founded in 1998 in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, with a new winery building completed in 2003. Proprietor and wine maker Bradley Brown sources his wines from three Estate Vineyards – Rattlesnake Rock, Old Corral Block and Homestead Block. All of the Estate vineyards are planted to Alban Selections on steep hillsides with mudstone and shale soils – 7 acres of Syrah, 2 acres of Grenache and 1 acre of Roussanne – and are farmed organically. Additionally, Bradley works closely with Coastview Vineyard located at 2400 ft on a mountain top in the Gabilan Mountains overlooking the Salinas Valley and Monterey Bay (several miles due south of Mt. Harlan). He has contracted with the vineyard to purchase Syrah planted in 1998 and to bud over certain sections of the vineyard to Pinot Noir and Grenache (in 2008) and plant a new block to an Alban selection of Syrah. This vineyard is also farmed organically and managed according to Bradley’s direction. Beginning in 2006, Big Basin started making Pinot Noir sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains. As of 2009, Big Basin is making three different single vineyard Pinots from the Santa Cruz Mountains (Alfaro Family, Lester Family and Woodruff Family Vineyards), plus the Pinot from Coastview Vineyard in the Gabilan Mountains.
Best known for Syrah, but also makes Pinot Noirs and blends.
Much more information is available on their website.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color. The outstanding nose has blackberries, blueberries, Asian spices, licorice, freshly cracked black peppercorns, dark bittersweet chocolate, with some nice earthiness. This has full body, fairly solid ripe tannins, and nice acidity. On the palate there are loads of berries and spice up front with dark chocolate and earthiness coming in on the back end. The finish is very long with black pepper and a touch of sweet cherries and a floral note coming into the picture. This is in a nice drinking window and will be enjoyable over the remainder of the decade. (93 pts)
We relived our time in Texas for dinner, even though that was a lifetime ago. Chicken Fried Steak, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, and some sautéed green beans. The meal was actually a nice pairing with the Big Basin wine.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c
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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!
May 5, 2013
Cliff
Cliff's Wine Picks 