2006 Zaca Mesa Syrah

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills

2009 Eric Kent Wine Cellars Syrah Kalen’s Big Boy Blend

2010 Two Hands Cabernet Sauvignon Sexy Beast

 

 

 

2006 Zaca Mesa Syrah – $15.67

This is generally a good California Syrah at a wallet friendly price.  In some vintages it seems to have that little something extra that propels it to the next level.  In my opinion, 2006 was one of those years.  I bought a half case of this from my local store and after killing two bottles fairly quickly, I’ve been showing some unusual restraint.  Even with the restraint, I’ll only have one bottle left after popping this one.  I have the 2007 in the cellar, but based on the one bottle I had upon release, it dropped back into the merely good category.

 

Winery history

The original property was purchased in 1972 by a group of friends and they started planting the vineyard in 1973.  With few other vineyards in the area to learn from, the vineyard was originally planted with numerous varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Grenache, Chardonnay, and Syrah to see what would work.

 

As the vineyard came into production, a winery was built on the property in 1978 and later expanded in 1981.  1978 was another milestone for Zaca Mesa, planting the first Syrah in Santa Barbara County.

 

By the early-1990’s, we had determined based on our farming experience that the Rhône varieties (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, and Roussanne) grew best on our property.

 

As one of the pioneers in the Santa Barbara County, Zaca Mesa was a training ground for many.  Ken Brown was our first winemaker and later started Byron in Santa Maria Valley.  Adam Tolmach, Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist worked at Zaca Mesa before venturing out on their own to start Ojai, Au Bon Climat and Qupé, respectively.

 

Zaca Mesa was the first Central Coast winery to appear in Wine Spectator’s Top 10 back in 1995.  A year later, our Syrah was served by President Clinton to French President Jacque Chirac at a White House State Dinner.  To show that we are not leaning one direction, our wines were also served at President Reagan’s 80th birthday party at the Beverly Hilton.

 

Since 1997, we have focused on growing the best Syrah, Viognier, and other Rhône varieties.  We have ripped up over half the original vines, replacing them with high-density planting of new rootstock and clone combinations that has significantly improved our quality.  We now have 9 clones of syrah and the most high density vineyard acres in the county.

 

Over time the ownership group diminished to one of the original partners.   Zaca Mesa has been family owned for almost 25 years.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color. The outstanding nose has blackberries, licorice, smoked meat, black pepper, vanilla, plums, violets, dried herbs, and a bit of dark chocolate. This is fairly full bodied with solid tannins and very nice acidity. On the palate the peppery berries lead the way with some chocolaty oak and dried herbs in the background adding depth and complexity. The finish features nice fruit leading to dark chocolate and dried herbs, but it could be a touch longer. An outstanding week night Syrah for well under $20.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills – $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, under $25 make them a nice way to kick up a week night dinner several notches without breaking the bank.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  The very enticing nose has raspberries, cherries, baking spices, cola, and some nice earthiness.  This has medium body, moderate tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate the wine is rich but reigned in and it stays in focus.  The finish is fairly long with a nice blend of fruit and savory elements.  This shows nice balance and the closing acidity provides very nice lift.  This is a great value for the price.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Eric Kent Wine Cellars Syrah Kalen’s Big Boy Blend – $28.49

The local store brought in a couple cases of this wine and put it on the shelf at a blow out price.  I was happy to relieve them of several bottles.  I know this is on the extremely young side, but I wanted to open one to set a baseline on the wine.

 

This is a blend of 100% Syrah, from the Greywacke Vineyard (Russian River Valley) and the Ray Teldeschi Vineyard (Dry Creek Valley), that spent 17 months in 40% new French oak.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The deep and dark nose is full of smoke, blackberries, charcoal, minerals, melted licorice, black olives, tobacco, and roasted herbs.  This has full body, solid tannins, and nice acidity.  On the palate a boat load of peppery berries, smoke and minerals grab hold and slowly relents enough for some roasted herbs to slip through.  The finish has very nice length but gets slightly clipped when the tannins and acidity kick in.  Let this beast sleep for a couple of years and you’ll be well rewarded for the patience.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Two Hands Cabernet Sauvignon Sexy Beast – $28.49

The Two Hands line of wines are a favorite in my house.  This will be my first Two Hands Cabernet since all past bottles have been Shiraz, Grenache, or blends.  I was able to grab a couple bottles of this at a close out sale at the local wine store.  I’m looking forward to seeing (tasting) what Michael Twelftree can do with Cabernet.

 

Winery history (Core Values)

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color. The outstanding nose features blackberries, black plums, Asian spices, black pepper, melted licorice, eucalyptus, earthy elements, and vanilla. This is medium to full bodied with fairly solid, ripe tannins, and very nice acidity. On the mouth filling palate, loads of fruit and spice fill the mouth with a solid wall of unrelenting flavor right through the long, lingering finish. This is a big, flavor filled wine that has enough tannin and acidity to deftly hold everything together. Not a delicate and nuanced wine. This is a love it or hate it wine, I’m on the love it side.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

2006 Alma Rosa Pinot Blanc Sta. Rita Hills

2006 L’Aventure Optimus

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Garys’ Vineyard

2005 Lyrique Syrah Watch Hill Vineyard

2011 Villa Creek “White”

 

 

 

2006 Alma Rosa Pinot Blanc Sta. Rita Hills – $4.75

I bought a large stash of this wine when it was on a blow out sale at the local wine store about a year ago.  Unfortunately after this bottle I’ll only have one left in the cellar.  I don’t know why this wine was still available in a distributor’s warehouse a few years after it was released, but I’m glad the local store took all they had and blew it out at a give away price.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright yellow to straw color. The light and refreshing nose has lemon curd, apples, stony/flinty minerals, orange blossoms, a touch of spice and a bit of pineapple. This has light to medium body, is dry and has crisp, citrusy acidity. This is very bright and lively on the palate with crisp apples, lemon zest, and flinty minerals, on the backend a touch of spice and orange zest add some depth. The finish has nice length with the citrus, apples, and minerals holding on nicely. This was an absolute steal on closeout for under $5.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2006 L’Aventure Optimus – $34.50

Before Saxum burst on the scene, L’Aventure was one of the major players in the Paso Robles wine scene along with Tablas Creek.  With the increased acclaim and notoriety for the region the number of world class wineries has exploded but the “old guard” still maintain their rightful position near the top of the food chain.

 

This vintage of the wine is a blend of 50% cabernet sauvignon, 45% syrah and 5% petit verdot.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby color.  The stunning nose is full of cassis, cedar, tobacco, crushed berries, chalky minerality, licorice, dark chocolate, and fresh wildflowers.  This has medium body, moderate to full ripe tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate a big jolt of spicy fruit hits up front with minerals, licorice and chocolate coming in on the back end.  The finish is very long and shows nice balance between the fruit and savory elements, with a touch of sweet berries seeming to never totally fade.  This is drinking wonderfully today but will last in the cellar for another three to five years, maybe more.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

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

It’s hard for me to pick my favorite vineyard source of Loring’s Pinot Noirs.  All I can say is, you can’t go wrong with Garys’, Clos Pepe, or Rosella’s Vineyards.  Brian Loring’s Pinots will never be confused with one from Burgundy but so what, they are simply delicious.

 

My Tasting Note

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

 

 

 

2005 Lyrique Syrah Watch Hill Vineyard – $17.25

I bought a few bottles of this wine from Garagiste Wine several years ago.  The wine blew me away!  It was big, ripe, and fruit forward but it was not an over blown fruit bomb.  I savored those few bottles and slowly killed them off over a few years.  Over that period I constantly hit the usual wine sites on the internet looking for bottles so I could reload to no avail.  It even looked like the winery closed up shop.  I gave up looking for more.  One day while digging through the Wine Bid site, I saw someone was selling four bottles.  Just to get my foot in the door, I stuck in an extremely low ball bid figuring I would have to go several dollars a bottle higher to grab the stash.  As luck would have it, no one outbid me and I won the lot for a touch over $17 a bottle after adding in the buyer’s commission.  Based on my last bottle the wine was starting to show some age so there won’t be another buy but I look forward to savoring my one last bottle.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color. The very open and inviting nose has juicy blackberries, smoked meat, black pepper, slightly smoldering wood embers, melted licorice, dark bittersweet chocolate, and some scorched earth. This has a fairly full body, integrated tannins, and nice acidity. On the palate the ripe, juicy fruit is joined by smoked meat and black pepper up front with some nice earthiness building on the back end. The finish is fairly long with dark chocolate joining the party. This is drinking very nicely but a touch of alcohol is starting to peak through the wall of flavor. Probably needs to be consumed over the next year.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Villa Creek “White” – $20.80

This is one of my favorite White California Rhone Ranger wines.  This is a blend of 70% stainless steel fermented Grenache Blanc and 30% James Berry Vineyard Roussanne that was fermented in concrete and neutral oak.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light golden yellow color.  The light and summery nose has melon, peach pit, minerals, white flowers, orange zest and a touch of spice.  This dry wine has medium body and very nice acidity.  On the palate melon and apricot flavors occupy the front end with some building minerality and citrus coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with minerals and some spice seeming to linger forever.  This tastes very good now and will last in the cellar for a couple of years.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

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!

 

 

 

2010 Don Sebastiani & Sons Sauvignon Blanc Project Paso

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills

2007 Anthill Farms Syrah Windsor Oaks Vineyard

 

 

 

2010 Don Sebastiani & Sons Sauvignon Blanc Project Paso – $7.59

Project Paso is a venture by Don Sebastiani & Sons in an attempt to highlight the wines coming out of the Paso Robles area.  In 1990 there were fewer than 20 wineries in Paso Robles, there are now over 200.  The area is now the fastest rowing AVA in California.  The Project Paso wines are meant to provide quality, distinctive, wallet friendly wines that can be enjoyed any time.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light, pale straw yellow color.  The tropical smelling nose has citrus zest, apples, minerals, pineapple, lime, white pepper, and fresh cut grass.  Light body with tart acidity and just a touch of sweetness.  This shows crisp citrus on the palate with some grassy notes and apple.  There is decent length on the finish with a bit of white pepper coming in on the back end.  This is nothing too special but nice on a hot afternoon or with a light meal on the deck or patio.  What more could you want in a $8 wine?  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills – $24.00

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, under $25 make them a nice way to kick up a week night dinner several notches without breaking the bank.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  The very sexy and open nose has raspberries, black cherries, cola, baking spices, vanilla, smoke, wild flowers, white pepper, earthiness, and a faint herbal note.  This has a medium body, silky tannins, and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine shows juicy, spicy berries, and just a hint of an herbal element that adds to the taste in a positive way, with some building pepper and citrus zest coming in on the back end.  On the fairly long finish the juicy berries, spice and white pepper are joined by some earthiness.  This is an very good wine and a great value for under $25.   (91 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Anthill Farms Syrah Windsor Oaks Vineyard – $25.00

Anthill Farms likes to make a “one off” wine.  In 2005, they made a Syrah with grapes from the Windsor Oaks Vineyard that turned out so well, it was quickly made part of their line up.  This is a classic cool climate Syrah that shows tart acidity and good savory elements.  The vineyard is only 10 miles from the coast and the grapes struggle to ripen in this area, resulting in longer “hang times”.  This is not a fruit forward, fruit driven, fruit bomb.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby color.  The slightly shy nose eventually shows raspberries, blackberries, dark chocolate, black pepper, minerals, road tar, and some earthiness.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  On the palate the bright berries and pepper dominate the front end with dark chocolate, more pepper, and some earthiness coming in on the back end along with a big blast of mouthwatering acidity.   The finish shows a touch of stems but otherwise is a continuation of the fruit and pepper.  The finish is a touch clipped when the acidity kicks in.  This could easily sit in the cellar for several more years and may improve if some of the acidity would integrate.  This wine needs food and shines in that role.  (90 pts)

 

 

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!