2013 Methymnaeos Chidiriotiko Orange Wine Greece

2006 Shafer Relentless

2014 Prisoner Wine Company Saldo

2011 Outpost Grenache Howell Mountain

2008 Big Basin Vineyards Mandala Syrah

Locations WA-4

 

 

 

2013 Methymnaeos Chidiriotiko Orange Wine Greece

The winery is the only one in the world making wine from the almost extinct Chidiriotiko grape.  Even though Orange wines are usually made from white grapes, this is a pale colored red grape.  The winery produces a white, red and this orange wine from the grape.

An “orange” wine is produced by fermenting white grapes on their skins similar to the production of a red wine.  The light colored skins give the wine a bright orange tint after going through fermentation.  As I noted above, in this case, the grapes used were a light, pale red but the results were the same.

The wine is a bright, clear orange color.  The mysterious nose has cherries, minerals, orange zest, white flowers and a hint of nuttiness.  This has an oily texture with soft tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate cherry skin, minerals and orange zest jump out on the front end with a floral note and a hit of roasted nuts coming in later.  The finish has nice length with minerals and cherry skins lingering nicely.  This is an obscure grape and a different style of wine that work nicely.  If you ever have the opportunity to try an “orange wine” think of it as a lighter red wine serving wise.  This tastes better at cellar temperature or a touch warmer.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a man made Nomacorc.  (89 pts)

 

 

2006 Shafer Relentless – $42.74

This vintage is a blend of 84% Syrah and 16% Petite Sirah.

 

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The exotic and enticing nose has blackberries, fresh ground espresso beans, crushed stone minerals, dark chocolate, melted licorice, black pepper, smoke, black cherries, tar, and violets.  This is full bodied with solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate there are layers of fruit and savory elements that thoroughly coat your mouth, like the wine’s name, the flavors are “relentless”.  The finish is fairly long and again is loaded with flavor.  Not a lot of subtlety here, just massive amounts of flavors that are held in check by the outstanding tannic backbone and acidity.  This is in a great drinking window and will hold for several years.  This has 14.9% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

2014 Prisoner Wine Company Saldo – $22.99

From the producer – “The word “Saldo” is of Latin origin often referring to “from here and there” or in this case, representing our sourcing of Zinfandel from regions “here and there” across Northern California.”

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The big and bold nose has blackberries, plums, baking spices, plums, espresso beans and scorched earth.  This has a full body with moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  Layers of fruit and spice quickly coat your palate with scorched earth and espresso beans coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with the fruit and spice continuing the assault on your palate.  Not a lot of complexity but this fruit bomb has enough savory notes to keep it from getting boring.  This has 15.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (87 pts)

 

 

2011 Outpost Grenache Howell Mountain – $36.59

This wine was purchased from Last Bottle Wines.  My favorite “flash sale” site on the web.  More information and a discount on your first purchase is below.

 

This wine comes from a vineyard 2,200 feet above the Napa Valley floor.  Thomas Rivers Brown produced 171 cases of this 100% Grenache.  The wine was aged in 100% one to five year old French oak barrels.

 

The wine is a light, bright ruby color.  The intoxicating nose has strawberries, dry earth, rocky minerals, white pepper, raspberries, baking spices and wildflowers.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate red fruit, minerals and white pepper push out to the front quickly with baking spices and dry earth coming in later.  On the lingering finish the savory notes take the lead with the fruit providing nice background sweetness.  This isn’t your normal fruit driven California Grenache, but it’s also not really Southern Rhone like either.  Maybe the best description would be Rhone-esque with richer upfront fruit.  This is a hard one to give a drinking window, it should be in its prime, but there still seems to be some depth and oomph buried in the background.  I plan on holding off opening another bottle for a year or two.  This has 14.1% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

2008 Big Basin Vineyards Mandala Syrah – $35.00

Total production was 8 barrels.  This is a blend of 88% Syrah, 8% Grenache and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color.  The big and bold nose is full of blackberries, blueberries, baking spices, dying wood embers, dark chocolate, dried violets and dusty minerals.  This has a full body with moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate layers of fruit, spice and minerals jump out on the front end with wood embers and dark chocolate coming in later.  The finish has great length with a nice dried floral note adding some depth.  This is a big, bold and rich wine that needs a hearty meal.  This is now in a prime drinking window that should last another 4 or 5 years.  What this wine lacks in subtlety it makes up for in taste.  This has 15.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

Locations WA-4 – $20.00

This wine was purchased from Last Bottle Wines.  My favorite “flash sale” site on the web.  More information and a discount on your first purchase is below.

 

Even though this is a “non-vintage” wine, most, if not all the grapes, were from the 2014 vintage.  This is a blend of Syrah, Merlot and Petit Sirah that was barrel aged 10 months in French and American oak barrels.

 

The owner and winemaker for Locations is Dave Phinney, better known for his esteemed Orin Swift wines.  The idea behind this label was “what can we do if we break the rules and blend grapes from regions that are normally not blended together”?  Why not make a wine blending grapes from both Bordeaux and the Rhone and throw in some from Roussillon?  The original concept has expanded to now include unique blends from different states in the US.  Besides the normal states, I noticed a Texas blend is now being produced.

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The enticing nose has blackberries, blueberries, dry underbrush, white pepper, dark chocolate, dried wildflowers, warm baking spices and a hint of crushed stones.  This has a full body with moderate ripe tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate dark fruit, spice and underbrush quickly grab control with white pepper, dark chocolate and crushed stone minerals coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with a dried floral note providing nice depth.  This isn’t a wine to stash away in the cellar, open it over the next 4 to 5 years and enjoy the layers of fruit and spice the wine readily offers up.  This has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

I am a big fan of the “Flash Wine Sale” site Last Bottle.  You probably noticed some of the wines in this post were purchased from the site.  All of these wines were purchased at a big discount.  I highly recommend getting on their e-mail list.  Like most of the flash sale sites, they offer one wine per day until it sells out.  They also have a couple two-day marathons during the year.  Last Bottle is a great site to buy special wines at prices low enough to open any day of the week.

 

If you sign up using this link you will get a $10 credit that can be used on your first purchase.  I will also get a credit if you make a purchase.

 

Other than getting a credit as explained above, I have no financial interest in the site.  After you are on the list, you can also get the same credit by introducing friends to Last Bottle.

 

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

I post a lot more pictures and pairing suggestions on my Instagram account, consider joining me at https://www.instagram.com/cbbrown3/

 

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

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2017 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

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

 

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

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase.  I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but always check out the sale and close out items when in a store.  Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges.  None of the prices include the sales tax.

 

 

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

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Overview

This wine has been a personal favorite for several years.  Relentless is generally a big, full bodied wine filled with berries and spice.  The availability of the wine at retail was generally spotty, at best, at least where I have lived.  Finding it at a discounted price was also like looking for a four leaf clover.  I’m sure it will be even harder to locate for a few years since the 2008 vintage was named Wine Spectator’s #1 Wine of the Year.

 

The family owned winery produces around 32,000 cases a year using mainly Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

 

The Winery

John Shafer purchased the 210 acre estate in 1972 after leaving his 23 year career in the publishing industry.  After moving his family to the Napa Valley, John set out to begin his new career in wine.  The family replanted the existing vineyards which had been originally planted in the 1920s.  The family also terraced the steep and rocky hillsides for additional vineyards.  These hillside vineyards brought the family up to 50 acres of vineyards.

 

As the vines matured, the family transitioned from growers to vintners and crushed their first Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in 1978.  They began building their winery a year later.

 

The first Shafer Cabernet became a benchmark, winning the acclaimed San Francisco Vintners Club taste-off upon release and, over a decade later taking first place in an international blind tasting held in Germany, where it outranked such wines as Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour and Chateau Palmer.

 

Doug Shafer became winemaker in 1983 after graduating from the University of California at Davis with a degree in enology and viticulture, a year later Elias Fernandez joined the winery as assistant winemaker.  Together Doug and Elias have worked closely to forge the Shafer style of quality, consistency and elegance.

 

New vineyards have been added over the years, with acreage acquired in the Oak Knoll, Stags Leap and Carneros districts, bringing the total Shafer vineyard acreage to over 200 acres.  Winery facilities have been expanded and extensive caves carved into the hillside for aging wine.

 

In 1994, Elias was appointed winemaker, and Doug took over the reins as president when John became chairman of the board.

 

 

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

The Wine

Relentless is born on a remote ridgetop vineyard in the southern foothills of Napa Valley’s Vaca Mountain range.  The wine is a field blend of approximately 80 percent Syrah and 20 percent Petite Sirah, which means that these two grape varietals grow side by side, and are picked and crushed together.

 

In the first vintages of this wine the Petite Sirah dominated with its purple-midnight color and solid black-fruit, smoke, and black pepper flavors. In the more recent vintages the

Syrah has moved into the forefront with its flavors of spice and meatiness, bringing a touch of elegance to this otherwise bold, flamboyant wine.

 

The wine is named to honor long-time Shafer Winemaker Elias Fernandez and his relentless pursuit of quality in the vineyard and cellar.

 

 

There is a video, “The Spirit of Relentless” available on Shafer’s website by clicking here.

 

 

 

2006 Shafer Relentless – $42.74

This has been a personal favorite for several years.  The higher price and limited availability around here cut into my purchases.  When the local store secured a nice stash of the wine and put it on sale at a killer price, I had to stock up.  This vintage is a blend of 84% Syrah and 16% Petite Sirah.

 

This has 14.9% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The exotic and enticing nose has blackberries, fresh ground espresso beans, crushed stone minerals, dark chocolate, melted licorice, black pepper, smoke, black cherries, tar, and violets.  This is full bodied with solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate there are layers of fruit and savory elements that thoroughly coat your mouth, like the wine’s name, the flavors are “relentless”.  The finish is fairly long and again is loaded with flavor.  Not a lot of subtlety here, just massive amounts of flavors that are held in check by the outstanding tannic backbone and acidity.  This is still a baby, but one that will swat you up side the head with their rattle.  This still has plenty of upside potential.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

Here in the upper Midwest, we cooled down very quickly over the last week or two.  This cool down was the perfect reason to make up a batch of slow cooked short ribs to pair with the wine.  This was a perfect pairing since the short ribs provided plenty of flavors to stand up to the burly Relentless.

 

 

Underground Cellars Contest

Want to win a $3,000 “Carbon Fiber” Champagne bottle or one of 100 other prizes?

 

They just announced that they raised $1,000,000 in seed funding from investors.  The most recent investment came from famous ‘Shark Tank’ investor Barbara Corcoran

 

Here is the press release announcing Barbara Corcoran’s new backing of the company.

 

If you are already a customer of the Underground Cellar, all you have to do is sign in and click the entry button.  To sign up with Underground Cellars and enter the drawing, click here, or the picture below.

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

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

 

Cheers!

 

 

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

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

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

 

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

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

2008 Carlisle Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2006 Shafer Relentless

 

 

 

2008 Carlisle Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley – $27.50

If you are on the Carlisle mailing list, congratulations, you are on one of the best lists out there.  If you are not on their mailing list, I highly recommend you upgrade your circle of friends to include someone on the list that shares their good stuff.

 

Now that Carlisle has their own winery and won’t be using outside crush facilities, I look forward to even greater things coming from them in the upcoming years.

 

The grapes for the wine came predominantly from Teldeschi Ranch (planted in 1885) and Mounts Ranch (planted in 1952).  An 11% mix of petite sirah and carignane completed the palate, adding just the right amount of tannin and acidity.  This was aged in French oak, 23% new and bottled unfined and unfiltered.  A total of 292 cases were produced.

 

The wine has 15.2% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

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 purple color.  The outstanding nose has black cherry, licorice, brambly berries, wood smoke, black pepper, and dried flowers.  This has a fairly full body, moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the fruit leans more toward cherry with some berries in the back ground with pepper and a smoky element.  The finish has nice length and adds a floral note.  This is in a nice place and should hold for a couple years.  This is very nice.  (92 pts)

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Russian River Valley – $25.00

In my opinion, the Loring appellation wines are some of the best bargains out there when it comes to quality California Pinot Noir.  The Loring appellation wines are, at least to me, dialed down a notch compared to their single vineyard siblings.  This and the lower prices, around $25 make them a nice way to kick up a week night dinner several notches without breaking the bank.

 

This has 14.8% alcohol and is closed via a Stelvin+ screw cap.  There were a total of 300 cases produced.

 

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.

 

For more information, to buy wine, or to join the mailing list, visit their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color. The rich and inviting nose has black raspberries, Asian spices, cola, black cherry, wild flowers, white pepper, and a touch of earthy underbrush. This has a medium body, moderate, ripe tannins, and good acidity. On the palate the wine has rich, velvety fruit and spice up front with some subtle earthiness and white pepper coming in late. The finish is fairly long and full of spicy. earthy fruit. May not be the most complex Pinot out there, but it is delicious and a steal at the mailing list price of $25.  (91 pts)

 

 

2006 Shafer Relentless – $42.74

This has been a personal favorite for several years.  The higher price and limited availability around here cut into my purchases.  When the local store secured a nice stash of the wine and put it on sale at a killer price, I had to stock up.  This vintage is a blend of 84% Syrah and 16% Petite Sirah.

 

This has 14.9% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Winery history

Shafer Vineyards traces its beginnings to 1972 when John Shafer left a 23-year career in the publishing industry and, with his family, moved to the Napa Valley to pursue a second career in wine.  After purchasing a 210-acre estate in Napa Valley’s Stags Leap District, the Shafer family faced the arduous task of replanting the existing vineyards, which dated to the 1920s, and terracing the steep and rocky hillsides, eventually expanding vineyard acreage to its current 50 acres.

 

Evolving from grape growers to vintners, the Shafers crushed their first Cabernet grapes in 1978 and began construction on their winery a year later.

 

The first Shafer Cabernet became a benchmark, winning the acclaimed San Francisco Vintners Club taste-off upon release and, over a decade later taking first place in an international blind tasting held in Germany, where it outranked such wines as Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour and Chateau Palmer.

 

Doug Shafer became winemaker in 1983 after graduating from the University of California at Davis with a degree in enology and viticulture.  A year later Elias Fernandez joined the winery as assistant winemaker.  Together Doug and Elias have worked closely to forge the Shafer style of quality, consistency and elegance.

 

New vineyards have been added over the years, with acreage acquired in the Oak Knoll, Stags Leap and Carneros districts, bringing the total Shafer vineyard acreage to over 200 acres.  Winery facilities have been expanded and extensive caves carved into the hillside for aging wine.

 

In 1994, Elias was appointed winemaker, and Doug took over the reins as president when John became chairman of the board.

 

From a modest beginning of 1,000 cases in 1978, the winery has grown steadily until reaching its present size of 32,000 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Syrah.  Today Shafer wines are available in major markets nationwide and in many foreign markets.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The exotic and enticing nose has blackberries, fresh ground dark roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, melted licorice, black pepper, smoke, black cherries, tar, and violets.  This is full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and good acidity.  On the palate there are layers of fruit and savory elements that thoroughly coat your mouth.  The finish is fairly long and again is loaded with flavor.  Not a lot of subtlety here, just massive amounts of flavor, that are held in check by the outstanding tannic backbone and acidity.  (93 pts)

 

 

Napa Valley Film Festival

Are you interested in attending the Napa Valley Film Festival?  The festival runs from November 13 through 17.

 

Oh, almost forgot, how does attending the event for free sound?  To celebrate being a sponsor of the event, Benchmark Wine Group is giving away a very nice package to one lucky person.  Enter by October 31st for your chance to win.

 

The Napa-based company is offering one lucky winner two Festival Passes to the Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF), worth a $500 value; two private invitations to the Benchmark Opening Night VIP kick-off party; and exclusive access to the sneak preview screening of ‘August: Osage County’, starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.

 

Benchmark Wine Group will be hosting an exclusive Opening Night VIP kick-off party on Wednesday, November 13 and a winemaker tasting with Todd Alexander of Bryant and Bettina on Friday, November 15.  NVFF Patrons and special guests will be invited to join Benchmark Wine Group at the Michael Holmes Gallery at Riverfront, 606 Main Street, from 8 pm to 10 pm Wednesday to launch the week’s festivities.  Every guest Wednesday will be entered into a raffle for a chance to buy a bottle of 2001 Château Haut-Brion for $1; taste magnums of 1983 Pétrus, 1966 Château Margaux, and 2003 Diamond Creek; and enjoy food catered by Morimoto Napa.

 

For more information, click here.

 

To view the official rules and to enter, click here.

 

A video about the event from my bud, Amy Payne, is available by clicking here.

 

 

 

Connect with me

You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

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

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2013 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

Here are the top wines I sampled or drank in 2012.  It was a hard task since I had tasting notes on over 500 wines this year.  As an added bonus, I included my next 10 wines, but since they aren’t ranked, I’ll  still call this my Top 10.

 

I set a couple of rules going in, the same winery couldn’t have more than one wine in the top 10 and could not have more than 2 in the top 20.  This only came into play for one wine, causing a bottle to fall from the top 10 to the “number 11 to 20” list.  Sorry Carlisle.

 

Unfortunately, since most of the wines I open have been in my cellar for a number of years, most of these wines are not available to purchase today.  Some are probably available on the auction sites, like WineBid.  If you are interested in any specific wine, let me know and I can help you track down a bottle.

 

 

 

10 – 2001 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Morisoli Vineyard

 

My comments

This is perennially one of my favorite Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons.  The Elyse Morisoli Cab generally needs a few years in the cellar to fully open up and reveal all of its layers.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a very nice, deep ruby color, showing absolutely no sign of age.  The outstanding nose has cassis, smoke, well worn leather, fresh ground coffee, dark chocolate, dried herbs, tobacco, and a faint hint of cedar.  This is medium bodied with nice, ripe, integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine is very civilized and refined on the palate with a nice fruit to savory balance.  The finish is long and full of cassis, dried herbs, and dark chocolate.  Very food friendly, but I’m very much enjoying a post dinner glass.  This can easily rest in the cellar for a few more years, but it is stunning today.  (94 pts)

 

 

9 – 2007 Westerhold Family Vineyards Syrah Westerhold Vineyard

 

My comments

This was a new find for me early in the year.  I bought a few bottle based purely on the fact Russell Bevan was the winemaker.  As soon as I had a couple sips, I was online stocking up.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The irresistible nose has blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, charcoal, dried herbs, melted licorice, baking spices, and a hint of violets.  This is fairly full body with solid, ripe tannins and very good acidity.  This is lush and ripe on the palate but not really pushing the ripeness to the edge.  The palate shows nice peppery berries, licorice, and some smoked meat with baking spices and dried herbs in the background.  The finish is very long and highlights the fruit initially but as the fruit slowly fades, the savory elements keep going.  Still extremely young but already outstanding.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

8 – 2004 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto

 

My comments

I’ve been a big fan of this Ribera del Duero wine for several years.  It took some cellar time but this outstanding vintage is just now coming out of its shell.

 

My Tasting Note

Decanted about 2.5 hrs.  Deep maroon color.  Blackberry liqueur, licorice, earthy underbrush, cedar, dried herbs, dark chocolate, and dark roasted coffee on the very open and inviting nose.  Medium to full body with solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Loads of spicy, sweet fruit on the palate with no over ripe notes.  Long finish again full of spicy fruit.  This will improve , perhaps quite a bit, with some additional cellar time but it is outstanding now with a couple hours of air.  Delicious!  (95 pts)

 

 

 

7 – 2002 Shafer Relentless

 

My comments

Another perennial favorite.  With the current vintage’s number one ranking in the Wine Spectator Top 100 wines, I’m sure more people will come to appreciate this gem.

 

My Tasting Note

Deep, dark maroon color.  Blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, licorice, Asian spices, vanilla, dark chocolate, and fresh ground coffee on the very inviting and exotic nose.  Medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and nice acidity.  A big hit of berries on the palate then waves of savory elements grab the palate.  Long, lingering finish with the spicy berries giving way to the dark chocolate and espresso.  Outstanding!  (95 pts)

 

 

 

6 – 2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard

 

My comments

I’ve been a big fan since back when some of the major wine magazines hated this wine.  This vintage was not only named the number 1, Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator but was bestowed very high scores by just about everyone who rates wines.  In my opinion, it is outstanding but will benefit from some additional cellar time.

 

My Tasting Note

I decanted the wine for a couple hours before tasting.  The wine is a deep, dark ruby color.  The wine has an exotic nose full of blackberries, blueberries, Asian spices, smoky incense, potpourri, black cherries, minerals, cola, earthy underbrush and a touch of alcohol.  This is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and bright acidity.  On the palate the wine reveals itself in layers.  First there is a solid hit of fruit with slowly building Asian spices.  As the fruit begins to fade, some nice earthy elements slowly start to build, later a bit of dark chocolate starts to take over.  The alcohol note on the nose is not noticeable on the palate or the long finish.  100 pts?  Wine of the Year?  I don’t know if I’d go that far at this point in its evolution, but there is still considerable upside.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

5 – 2003 Carlisle Two Acres

 

My comments

This is another wine that tastes great upon release, but some cellar time is greatly rewarded.  For all their early richness, Carlisle wines are balanced enough to improve in the cellar.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, saturated maroon color with a touch of bricking at the edge.  The very pleasing and inviting nose features blackberries, licorice, tree bark, leather, meat juices, dried herbs, violets, and a touch of Asian spices.  The wine is fairly full bodied with nice, ripe tannins and good acidity.  On the palate there are nice, spicy berries with just a touch of earthiness and a hit of dark chocolate.  Even though the nose and palate are top notch, the finish is probably the best part of the wine.  The finish is very long and loaded with berries, chocolate, dried herbs, and earthiness with just a bit of a meaty element.  The length is incredible!  There are absolutely no rough edges or any overly dominant taste or aromas in this wine.  This wine is in a perfect drinking window, if I had more I’d recommend drinking over the next year or two.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

4 – 2008 Melville Pinot Noir Carrie’s

 

My comments

This is a wine I grabbed off the shelf at my local wine store to try down the road.  Now I wish I had opened it as soon as I got home so I could have stocked up.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  An intoxicating nose with earthy underbrush, black cherry, raspberry, baking spices, vanilla, melted licorice, and violets.  This has medium body with ripe tannins and very good acidity.  Rich and plush on the palate with fantastic, earthy, spicy, fruit that slowly transforms to reveal a new nuance every couple of seconds.  The finish never really seems to dissipate, seemingly lingering forever.   One of the absolute best young California Pinot Noirs I have had the good fortune to enjoy.  Absolutely stunning!  (95 pts)

 

 

 

3 – 2003 Turley Petite Sirah Hayne Vineyard

 

My comments

For a long time, one of the upper echelon Petite Sirahs from California.  Over the years other wineries have been able to duplicate Turley’s “formula” when it comes to Zinfandels, but no one has been able to replicate the power and finesse Turley generates from this Hayne Vineyard masterpiece.

 

My Tasting Note

Decanted an hour.  Deep, dark, inky maroon color.  An outstanding nose of blackberries, pepper, melted licorice, baking spices, dark chocolate, fresh ground espresso, with some vanilla, blueberry, and violets.  Full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Rich and spicy on the palate with loads of dark fruit, pepper, and spice.  Ripe tannins grab the palate coating it with velvety plushness.  Long finish that just seems to go on and on, very slowly fading.  One of the best Petite Sirahs I have ever had.  This is still quite young but very drinkable now with some air.  I’ll hold onto my other bottle for a special occasion.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

2 – 2004 Jean Edwards Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

 

My comments

Jean Edwards Cellars was another new find for me in 2012.  In this case, my thanks goes to Twitter for leading me to this winery and the wonderful owners.  Check them out on the internet, you can probably still get in on this action before the winery catches on in a big way making the wine extremely hard to get.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby to garnet color.  The sensuous nose features cassis, cedar, tobacco, dried herbs, smoke, well worn leather, black cherry, and just a touch of earthiness.  This has medium body with nice, ripe tannins and very good acidity.  The wine is rich and velvety on the palate with dried herb laced berries and cherries up front and nice savory notes and spicy oak adding considerable depth and complexity.  The long finish adds a touch of dark chocolate and earthiness to the fruit and dried herbs.  The wine is in a perfect drinking window with absolutely no rough edges or over powering elements, but it should hold for at least a few more years if not longer.  I’ll hold my remaining bottle for another couple years.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

1 – 2007 Villa Creek High Road The Long Path James Berry Vineyard

 

My comments

I’ve been buying and very much enjoying the wines from Villa Creek for several years.  This bottle, from a great vintage, and the magical James Berry Vineyard has propelled this wine to the top of my list for the year.  I wish I had bought more of this but my couple bottles will have to make due.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The nose on this wine is absolutely incredible with blackberries, intense stony minerals, violets, smoke, briny olives, blueberries, and dark, bittersweet chocolate with just a hint of earthiness.  This is medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Like the nose, the palate on this wine is incredible, loaded with spicy, smoky, mineral laden berries with olives and dark chocolate in the background adding depth and complexity.  The finish is very long, never seeming to end with spicy berries and just a bit of earthiness seeming to last forever.  In a perfect world, this would be cellar worthy for a decade, but realistically it will be next to impossible to resist for more than a year or two in my cellar.  (96 pts)

 

 

 

Number 11 to 20 by winery

 

 

2007 Big Basin Vineyards Odeon Black Ridge Vineyard

This was decanted for about 3 hours.   The wine is a deep, dark, purple color.  The very deep and interesting nose had cassis, blackberries, black cherries, baking spices, licorice, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, dried herbs, minerals, and some toasty oak.  This is full bodied with a nice tannic backbone and good acidity.  The wine explodes on your palate coating it with spicy fruit, dark chocolate, and dried herbs.  There is a some nice, spicy oak providing some background “seasoning”.  The wine has a long, lingering finish with just enough toast oak to add interest without over powering the fruit and dried herbs.  This is a big, ripe, rich wine that perfectly conceals the alcohol.  This wine has years of life ahead of it, but it is delicious today with some air.  (94 pts)

 

2006 Carlisle Zinfandel Carlisle Vineyard

Decanted about an hour.  Deep, dark maroon color.  Brambly berries, melted licorice, black pepper, smoke, dark chocolate, with a bit of vanilla on the fantastic nose.  Full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Big, ripe, and bold on the palate with loads of juicy, peppery berries.  Long, spicy finish.  Wine still tastes young and has youthful tannins and very nice acidity, this could cellar for several more years.  This is an absolutely stunning zinfandel, one of the best I have ever had. and I think it will still improve with some additional cellar time.  (95 pts)

 

2005 Clos du Mont Olivet Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Decanted about 2 hours.  Deep, dark ruby color with just a touch of lightening at the edge.  Black cherries, raspberries, loads of minerality, dried herbs, spices, scorched earth, a bit of underbrush, black pepper, and meat juices on the rich and luxurious nose.  Medium body with solid but silky tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine is rich, smooth, and velvety with no jagged edges or off notes, it just envelopes the palate with spicy, earthy fruit.  Long, lingering finish.  This may be very young, but with some air it is a knock out.  Top rate and at under $30 a QPR masterpiece!  (94 pts)

 

2003 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon

Decanted about an hour.  Deep, saturated ruby color.  Cassis, cherry, licorice, worn leather, cocoa, dried herbs, smoke, tobacco, and just a bit of cedar on the slightly reserved nose.  Medium body with fairly solid but ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Much more expressive on the palate than on the nose, everything seems to be turned up a notch, with the rich and spicy fruit leading the way.  Nice dried herbs are in the background with a bit of dark chocolate coming in on the backend.  Long finish with the dried herbs and dark chocolate seeming to last forever.  I think the nose will open up with another year or two in the cellar.  Very nice now, probably even better in a year or two.  (94 pts)

 

2007 Jacob Franklin Mon Chou #50 Napa Valley

Pretty much pop and pour due to a different wine being corked.  The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color.  The fantastic nose has cassis, dried herbs, licorice, baking spices, cherries, cigar box, smoke, and minerals.  This had medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine shows very nice spicy fruit full of dried herbs and a touch of licorice.  The wine has a long, lingering finish full of sweet berries, spices, and the dried herbs.  This is the real deal, with no rough edges.  This wine is very highly recommended.  (94 pts)

 

2005 Jaffurs Petite Sirah Thompson Vineyard

The wine is a very dark purple color, almost black.  The very inviting nose has blackberries, blueberries, white pepper, baking spices, melted licorice, violets, and some dark chocolate.  This is medium to full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and very good acidity.  Ripe, juicy, spicy berries dominate the palate with some very nice licorice and dark chocolate coming through on the backend.  The bright acidity and tannins keep the wine in check and actually makes it seem a bit lighter in body than the 15.8% alcohol lead me to expect.  The wine has a long finish with the juicy berries and spices slowly fading.  The alcohol is surprisingly well hidden with just a touch peeking through on the finish.  An outstanding Petite Sirah that is drinking perfectly today but with enough acidity and tannins to easily cellar for several more years.  (94 pts)

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir “The Three”

Decanted about 2 hours.  Deep ruby red color.  Black cherries, blackberries, baking spices, white pepper, underbrush, and vanilla on the very intriguing nose.  Medium to full body with fairly solid but ripe and silky tannins and very nice acidity.  Big, rich, and spicy on the palate with loads of dark fruit and baking spices.  Very nice length on the finish with the spicy fruit lingering for a long time.  This is not a Pinot for Francophiles, VERY unique.  I would call this hedonistic, even though I absolutely despise that term in a tasting note because it usually denotes an over ripe, sweet, syrupy wine, which this is not.  Not for everyone, and not an everyday wine, but tonight I absolutely loved it.  (94 pts)

 

1988 Schloss Schonborn Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Spatlese

The wine is a bright, golden yellow color.  The very pleasing nose has petrol, apples, white peaches, honey, minerals, citrus zest, lime, and some white pepper.  This has light to medium body with crisp acidity and nice sweetness.  Very rich and smooth on the palate with most of the overt sugar having been incorporated into the magical elixir.  The wine has a long, lingering finish full of peach, apples, honey, minerals, and lime.  This actually still tastes young.  (94 pts)

 

2000 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile

A bright golden yellow color.  Apple, peach, lemon zest, minerals, lime zest, petrol, and a touch of white pepper on the very luxurious nose.  Light to medium body, dry with outstanding acidity.  Tart and tangy white fruit and citrus on the palate with minerals and a bit of white pepper coming in on the back end.  Long finish with mouthwatering citrus and spicy minerals seeming to last forever.  An truly outstanding example of a dry Riesling.  (94 pts)

 

2007 Villa Creek Willow Creek Cuvee

Decanted about an hour.  Deep ruby color.  Cherries, blackberries, white pepper, baking spices, some earthiness, licorice, and nice minerality on the very open and inviting nose.  Medium to full body with solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Rich fruit and solid peppery spice on the palate with some minerality and earthiness coming in on the back end.  Long finish with the fruit, spice, minerality, and earthiness all lingering seemingly forever.  I love this wine every vintage, but one seems to have that little something extra.  This is special.  (94 pts)

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

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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!