2011 Loring Wine Company Grenache Russell Family Vineyard

2010 Sandler Wine Company Grenache Chalone Boer Vineyard

2012 Ledge Tempranillo Los Topos

2010 Jacob Franklin Petite Sirah Hayne Vineyard

2012 Ledge Garnacha Los Topos

2009 Vincent Arroyo Tempranillo

2008 Villa del Monte Merlot Moon Vineyard

2008 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard

 

 

 

2011 Loring Wine Company Grenache Russell Family Vineyard – $39.67

This was a no-brainer buy for me.  I love Brian Loring’s wines and Grenache is one of my favorite grapes.  The price of admission was a touch steep for a total unknown, but I had to grab some.

 

Winery history

My philosophy on making wine is that the fruit is EVERYTHING.  What happens in the vineyard determines the quality of the wine – I can’t make it better – I can only screw it up!  That’s why I’m extremely picky when choosing vineyards to buy grapes from.  Not only am I looking for the right soil, micro-climate, and clones, I’m also looking for a grower with the same passion and dedication to producing great wine that I have.  In other words, a total Pinot Freak!  My part in the vineyard equation is to throw heaping piles of money at the vineyard owners (so that they can limit yields and still make a profit) and then stay out of the way!  Since most, if not all of the growers keep some fruit to make their own wine, I tell them to farm my acre(s) the same way they do theirs – since they’ll obviously be doing whatever is necessary to get the best possible fruit.  One of the most important decisions made in the vineyard is when to pick.  Some people go by the numbers (brix, pH, TA, etc) and some go by taste.  Once again, I trust the decision to the vineyard people.  The day they pick the fruit for their wine is the day I’m there with a truck to pick mine.  Given this approach, the wine that I produce is as much a reflection of the vineyard owner as it is of my winemaking skills.  I figure that I’m extending the concept of terroir a bit to include the vineyard owner/manager… but it seems to make sense to me.  The added benefit is that I’ll be producing a wide variety of Pinots.  It’d be boring if everything I made tasted the same.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The exotic and inviting nose has black cherries, black raspberries, white pepper, chocolate, crushed rocks, dried herbs, Asian spices, forest floor, and a touch of eucalyptus.  This has medium to full body, moderate ripe tannins, and good acidity.  The palate features ripe, juicy cherries and berries, minerals, spice, chocolate and some earthiness.  The finish has nice length with dried herbs and white pepper adding some kick to the chocolate and fruit.  This is a ripe and rich style of wine but it doesn’t carry excess weight and is not syrupy.  This will never be mistaken as a Rhone wine, but it is outstanding in its own right.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Sandler Wine Company Grenache Chalone Boer Vineyard

Sandler Wine Company is the personal label of ever-present consulting winemaker, Ed Kurtzman.  Sandler Wine Company is devoted to small bottlings of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel and Grenache, from some of Ed’s favorite vineyard and grower sources.  Production of most wines very seldom exceeds 100 cases and in some cases don’t even reach 25 cases.  This is a highly recommended mailing list to check out if you want very reasonably priced, small production wines.

 

For more information, checkout their website.

 

The wine is a nice, bright ruby red color.  The civilized and refined nose has raspberries, minerals, warm baking spices, mint, cherries, wild flowers, and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium body, moderate tannins, and very good acidity.  On the palate the fruit and spice grab hold initially, eventually allowing a touch of mint, earthiness, and a floral note to come through.  The finish has nice length with mint and cherries carrying the load.  This is very good now, but will be much better in another year or two.  This has 14.3% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Ledge Tempranillo Los Topos – $18.75

This is a limited production, 100% Tempranillo sourced from premium Paso Robles Vineyards.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The enticing nose has black cherries, white pepper, dry underbrush, baking spices, crushed stone minerals, dried leafy herbs, wild flowers and licorice.  This has a full body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  Black cherries, white pepper and crushed stones immediately grab hold of your palate with dried herbs and underbrush coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with licorice and a floral note entering the picture.  This will probably age and maybe even improve in the cellar but this is very hard to resist.  One of the better Tempranillo wines coming out of California.  This has 15.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Jacob Franklin Petite Sirah Hayne Vineyard – $32.00

This was another very easy buy, one of my favorite grapes, from a top notch vineyard, from one of my go-to wineries.

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The inviting nose is full of crushed blackberries, dusty minerals, violets, blueberries, white pepper, road tar, dried violets and vanilla bean.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  For a Hayne Vineyard Petite Sirah this is bright and lively on your palate with crushed berries, minerals and white pepper hitting on the front end and blueberries, vanilla and dried violets coming in later.  The finish has very nice length with berries and white pepper seeming to linger forever.  This is on the young side but very easy to enjoy even at this stage in its development.  This has 13.6% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Ledge Garnacha Los Topos – $18.75

This is 100% Grenache from Paso Robles.

 

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The inviting nose has cherries, baking spices, licorice, white pepper, crushed stones, dried leafy herbs, raspberries and dried flowers.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  Tart cherries, white pepper and crushed stones jump out quickly on the front end with baking spices and licorice coming in later.  The finish has nice length with dried herbs and dried flowers joining the cherries and white pepper.  This is already very tasty but will probably improve with a year in the cellar.  This has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Vincent Arroyo Tempranillo – $25.20

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

 

Winery history

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

 

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

 

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly dark ruby red color.  The slightly reserved nose has black cherries, warm baking spices, licorice, earthy underbrush, wild flowers, dried herbs, and cedar.  This has medium body, moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine shows cherries with a touch of spicy oak up front with some dried herbs and earthiness coming in on the back end.  The finish is a touch short but again has nice spicy cherries.  This doesn’t offer a lot in the complexity department but it is tasty.  A worthy entry in the Napa Valley Tempranillo category, which doesn’t have many competitors.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Villa del Monte Merlot Moon Vineyard – SRP $33

This was a sample provided by the winery for review purposes.

 

The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color.  The inviting nose has blackberries, cherries, cedar, baking spices, mint, freshly ground coffee beans, dark bittersweet chocolate and dried violets.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate tart fruit, spice and coffee beans jump out on the front end with cedar and a touch of mint coming in later.  The finish has nice length with dark chocolate and dried flowers adding nice depth.  This is drinking very nicely today but will hold for the remainder of the decade, maybe longer.  A solid effort!  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard – $29.75

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The sensuous nose has plums, cherries, baking spices, roasted herbs, scorched earth, white pepper, violets, crushed stones and a hint of eucalyptus.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate sweet cherries, white pepper, scorched earth and crushed stones jump out quickly with roasted herbs and spices coming in later.  The finish has good length with a touch of eucalyptus providing extra depth.  A few years in the cellar have been very kind to this wine.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

 

I am a big fan of the “Flash Wine Sale” site Last Bottle.  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!

 

 

2006 Terre di Talamo Morellino di Scansano Tempo Riserva

2010 Two Hands Shiraz Gnarly Dudes

2009 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard

2011 Two Hands Cabernet Sauvignon Sexy Beast

2011 Exitus

2007 Ridge Geyserville

 

 

 

2006 Terre di Talamo Morellino di Scansano Tempo Riserva – $13.59

This was an unfamiliar wine when I saw it on the shelf at a local wine store.  Since I had a coupon worth 20% off on “old world” wine and we always seem to be low on Italian wines, I had to grab a bottle.  Since the bottle already had a couple years of age “under its belt”, I’m hoping it’s good to go.  This wine is 90% Sangiovese, 5% Alicante, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

The wine has 14.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dull ruby color with some bricking at the edge.  The pleasurable nose has cherries, dusty minerals, baking spices, underbrush, roasted herbs, vanilla bean and dried violets.  This has medium body with very good acidity and just a touch of tannins.  On the palate cherry and dusty minerals grab hold first, slowly allowing spices and roasted herbs to slip into the picture.  The finish has good length with some underbrush and a touch of dark chocolate coming in late.  This was a steal at well under $15.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Two Hands Shiraz Gnarly Dudes – $32.99

In July 2012, the store where we used to live brought this in at a great price, under $25 a bottle.  Those bottles are long gone, but when I saw this on the shelf of a store near our new home, I had to grab a bottle even though the cost was not as low.  Two Hands is one of my wife’s favorite wineries so it was nice to open something I knew she would appreciate.

 

Gnarly Dudes is made with fruit sourced from mature vineyards from the Barossa’s western ranges.

 

The lots making up this wine were crushed into and fermented in 3, 5, 7 and 10 ton open top vessels.  Three daily pump overs were performed during the peak of fermentation to extract flavor, color and tannins.  The batches were drained and pressed to tank, then racked to barrel for oak maturation where malolactic fermentation occurred.  All batches were kept separate and blended just prior to bottling.  The wine was aged 14 months in hogsheads, 11% new French oak with the balance in 1 to 4 year old French oak

 

This wine has 14.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark, inky, purple color.  The burly nose has blackberries, smoke, dark chocolate, plums, meat juices, black pepper, Asian spices, minerals, melted licorice, charcoal, and fresh wild flowers.  The wine is medium to full body with solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity.  On the palate there are loads of spicy, smoky, meaty berries with plums and dark chocolate coming in on the back end to add even more depth.  The finish is long, juicy, and flavorful.  A seamless, balanced, full flavored Shiraz with no rough edges.  Enjoyable now and for the next five years.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard – $33.60

This wine is 100% Grenache from the Denner Vineyard in Paso Robles.

 

This is the first year Villa Creek used concrete vats for a portion of the Grenache, which was fermented with 50% whole clusters. The other two lots were fermented in steel and aged in 500 liter barrels, 50% new.

 

The wine has 15.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork with wax coating.  There were 360 cases produced.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright red color with a ruby tint.  The sensuous nose has ripe cherries, crushed stone minerals, plums, licorice, dried herbs, dried flowers and a touch of scorched earth.  This has medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the ripe cherries and stony minerals jump out quickly with dried herbs and dried earth coming in later.  The finish is long and lingering with licorice and a nice floral note entering the picture and adding good depth.  This is very easy to drink now and should provide plenty of pleasure over the next couple of years.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Two Hands Cabernet Sauvignon Sexy Beast – $39.99

Two Hands is one of my wife’s favorite wineries so I have to grab a bottle or two any time I see them on a store’s shelf.  I bought this bottle at the same time I grabbed the Gnarly Dudes also on this post.

 

This wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia’s McLaren Vale region.

 

The lots that went into this wine were crushed into and fermented in open top vessels.  There were three daily pump overs to extract flavors, color and tannins.  The average time ‘on skins’ was 14 days.  The batches were then drained and pressed to tank and then racked to barrel for oak maturation.  The wine was aged 14 months in hogsheads: 12% new French oak, balance in one to four year old French oak.

 

This wine has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The relaxing nose has ripe cassis, licorice, baking spices, pencil shavings and a hint of roasted herbs.  This has a medium to full body with moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  Ripe, rich fruit and spice coat the palate on the front end with a bit of roasted herbs coming in later.  The finish has good length with pencil shavings and a touch of earthiness entering the picture.  This wine is very easy to drink and enjoy.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Exitus – $9.49

A local wine store had this opened for a tasting.  The wine had a suggested price of $25.99, which far exceeded its value.  To me the wine was simply an easy drinking wine to enjoy with friends at the end of an evening.  For their event price of $9.99, the wine seemed to be fairly priced, so I grabbed a couple bottles.

 

This wine is a blend of 60% Syrah from Monterey, 31% Merlot from Monterey and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon from California.

 

The wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle was sealed with an artificial cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine was a deep ruby to purple color.  The comforting nose has blackberries, roasted herbs, cherries, white pepper, licorice and subtle earthiness.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate ripe fruit and spice jump out first with roasted herbs coming in later.  The finish has decent length with a touch of earthiness entering the picture.  The wine leaves a slightly sweet final impression on the palate.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Ridge Geyserville – $23.74

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 originally purchased; I now have less than half remaining.

 

The alcohol is listed at 14.4% and this uses a natural cork closure.

 

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 Sonoma County, 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 is in a very nice drinking window and should hold for at least a few more years.  (92 pts)

 

 

I decided to try something different to pair with the Ridge Geyserville.  I have a pellet grill that I use to smoke meat and decided to see how a chicken would turn out.  I started with a five to six pound whole fryer.  After brining it overnight in water with kosher salt and brown sugar, I rinsed it off with cold water, patted it dry and coated it with my spice rub.  The bird then went into the pellet grill for 6 hours at 180 degrees.  For the last hour, I upped the temperature to 225.

 

Here is the finished chicken.  It was very tender and extremely juicy with just a touch of spice from the dry rub and it had a very nice smoky aroma and taste.  The chick and the wine worked very nicely together.

 

 

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 2015 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!

 

 

 

2007 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard

2008 JC Cellars The Impostor

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch

2011 Tardieu-Laurent Côtes du Rhône Les Becs Fins

2007 Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard

2005 Château Margüi Côteaux Varois

 

 

 

2007 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard – $35.00

Villa Creek is one of my favorite wineries.  This wine along with their Avenger wine are my favorites they produce.  The winery produces several very nice red wines, most of them being innovative blends from the big name vineyards in the Paso Robles area.  Besides the reds, they also produce a very nice white Rhone styled wine and a good Rosé.  The winery is worth the effort of tracking down a few bottles either locally or through their website.

 

This has 14.8% alcohol by volume and is closed with a Stelvin LUX+ stopper.

 

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 ruby red color.  The very alluring nose has cherries, black raspberries, cola, warm baking spices, white pepper, violets, stony minerals, touch of pine needles, and some earthiness.  This has medium to full body, moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the spicy, peppery cherries grab hold first, slowly allowing some minerals and earthiness to slip into focus.  The finish has very nice length with a nice blend of fruit and savory elements.  This has exceptional balance and should drink well for at least another 3 or 4 years.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2008 JC Cellars The Impostor – $23.74

Jeff Cohn just keeps cranking out the hits.  Since his earlier days making outstanding wines for Rosenblum, Jeff is now making the same style of wines for his own label.  These are generally full throttle, distinctive wines.

 

This wine is a blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Carignane, Grenache and Viognier.

 

This wine has 15.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color. The very open and nice nose has brambly berries, black pepper, vanilla, dark chocolate, violets, licorice, meat juices, and a touch of earthiness. This has a full body, fairly solid, ripe tannins, and good acidity. On the palate the wine is a mouth full of juicy, peppery, berries with dark chocolate and earthy elements coming in on the back end providing extra depth. The finish is fairly long but a touch of excess oak does pop out. This is a big and rich wine that is not sweet or syrupy and has no raisiny notes.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Sauvignon Blanc Kick Ranch – $22.00

I joined the Bedrock mailing list a few years ago to get access to the red wines they were producing.  Even though I really like those reds, I love their white wines.  In my opinion, Morgan Twain-Peterson is currently producing some of the best white wines coming out of California and selling them at killer prices.

 

The wine has 13.4% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright straw color with glints of green and gold.  The nose is a fresh and refreshing, full of apples, white peaches, stony minerals, citrus zest, eucalyptus, fresh cut grass, with a nice floral note.  This is light to medium body with crisp, citrusy acidity.  This is bright and very lively with the fruit, citrus, and herbal notes taking turns enticing the palate.  The finish is fairly long with the eucalyptus making an appearance to lend a savory element to the fruit and citrus.  This is in a real nice place right now, but should hold for another year, maybe longer.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Tardieu-Laurent Côtes du Rhône Les Becs Fins – $12.99

This is a blend of 60% Syrah and 30% Grenache.  The Grenache vines are over 60 years old and the Syrah vines are over 30 years old.  This wine was 100% tank/cement raised (NO wood).

 

This has 14.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The very inviting nose has blackberries, minerals, wood smoke, ripe cherries, licorice, violets and a touch of garrigue.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and good acidity.  The berries, cherries, smoke and minerals coat the palate with outstanding flavor and concentration with a floral element coming into the picture on the back end.  The finish has good length with some dried herbs and a touch of earthiness slipping in.  I wouldn’t hold onto this for more than a year or two, open a bottle and enjoy.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard – $48.61

This wine is a blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 21% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot from Washington state’s Horse Heaven Hills.

 

This wine has 14.7% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Champoux Vineyard

Champoux (pronounced “shampoo”) Vineyard is set back five miles from the Columbia River in the Horse Heaven Hills.  The 175 acre vineyard was first planted in 1972 and Block 1, the oldest section, provides the Cabernet Sauvignon for Andrew Will’s Sorella.

 

Paul Champoux, the leader of the partnership that owns the vineyard, is on site to monitor the growth and to manage the vineyard.  The balance of the plants is sought through use of micro nutrition and keen viticulture practices such as pruning to fruit ratio.  Andrew Will is part of the minority ownership of the vineyard.  Other partners include Quilceda Creek, Woodward Canyon, and Powers.

 

The soil is sandy loamy (Warden-Schano-Esquatzel).  The area is differentiated from other parts of Washington by the wind from the Columbia River Gorge, which never seems to stop.  Tannins are noteworthy in the wines from this vineyard.  Noted British wine author and critic Jancis Robinson wrote after tasting several Champoux Vineyard wines including Andrew Will, “what linked them most obviously was the quality and character of the tannis: extremely fine, dark and elegant.  Together with the naturally well balanced acidity, they create a wonderful framework for the rich, dark, blessedly not- overripe fruit; powerful wines that are nevertheless models of restraint.”

 

The Winery

Andrew Will Winery was started in 1989 and is owned by Chris Camarda.  The winery was launched out of a love for wine that Chris had developed while working in the restaurant trade for almost 20 years.  Named after the Camardas’ son Will and nephew Andrew, Andrew Will has been a major contributor to the success and notoriety in recent years of Washington State wines.  Initially, the winery consisted of 900 square feet of rented industrial space in Seattle.

 

In 1994, the Camardas moved to Vashon Island, a short ferry ride from Seattle, where they built the present winery.  The fruit however comes from the mainland, across the Cascades in Eastern Washington, where all the significant vineyards lie in the rain shadow of the mountains.

 

Klipsun and Ciel du Cheval vineyards are adjacent on the loam and gravel soils of Red Mountain but produce different styles of wine.  Klipsun makes massive, opulent wine to appreciate early. Ciel du Cheval possesses a slightly more tannic structure and great ageing potential.

 

Much more information is available on the winery’s website by clicking here.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The sensuous nose has cassis, blackberries, minerals, dried herbs, violets, mint, smoke, licorice, warm baking spice and a slight green herbal note.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate big fruit and spice jump out first with minerals, mint and a floral note popping out on the mid-palate.  The finish has very good length with a nice herbal note and more mint joining the rich fruit.  This is on the young side and will improve with some additional cellar time but it is already stunning.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Château Margüi Côteaux Varois – $15.83

This was a spur of the moment purchase from Garagiste several years ago.  How could you pass up on a wine with the following Jon Rimmerman description and a cost of under $16?

 

The Syrah, which makes up 70% of the cepage has teeth like a Northern Rhone (not a Southern Syrah) and the Cabernet is like Left Bank Cabernet in a vintage like 1982 or 1990 – ripe and seductive with a fine tannic bite that only Cabernet skin tannins can provide.  Mix the two together and you have a cool-climate/warm-climate dichotomy from a great vintage (2005) that drinks like a much more expensive wine – no wonder the restaurants are lining up to buy this (can you imagine what the mark-up will be from a Michelin starred venue?).  With only 12.5-13.0% natural alcohol and fascinating levels of balanced natural extract, the glowing red fruit, mineral-dipped flavor has an uncanny Bordelaise edge that is magnified by the meaty, floral capacity of the Syrah.  Basically, it’s a great effort and EXTREMELY LIMITED (only 50 cases of the 2005 for the US).

 

This has 13.0% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The appealing nose has cherries, blackberries, minerals, dried herbs, cedar, tobacco, eucalyptus and damp earth.  This has medium body, moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the fruit and savory elements share top billing, each taking turns strutting their stuff.  The finish has nice length and shows outstanding balance.  This has a couple more years of life ahead of it before it starts declining.  This is a very nice bottle of wine to share over a meal.  (91 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 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!

 

 

 

2005 Consilience Syrah Camp 4 Vineyard

2007 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard

2008 Turley Zinfandel Moore “Earthquake” Vineyard

 

 

 

2005 Consilience Syrah Camp 4 Vineyard – $14.24

When it comes to big, brawny, take no prisoner wines, this 16.5% ABV wine, is a heavy weight.  If it’s at all possible, the massive wine actually conceals most of the alcohol but a touch does peak out from around the corners.  I was able to snag a case of this for under $15 a bottle and it is an enjoyable bottle of wine, every once in a while.  There is absolutely nothing subtle about this wine and a lot of people will hate it even without trying it.

 

This has 16.5% abv and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Winery history

We are fortunate to source our grapes from many of the most desirable vineyards in Santa Barbara County and work with some of the most reputable growers in the area to help showcase the unique qualities of each these special vineyards.

 

Winemaker and co-owner, Brett Escalera works closely with the growers and in the vineyards to produce beautiful wines with a richness and elegance we hope to share all around the world.  While Consilience focuses loosely on Rhone varietals and few others we couldn’t resist, Consilience’s sister winery, Tre Anelli wines is inspired by the traditions of Italy and Spain with a Santa Barbara County flare.

 

Whether you’re a fan of rich Rhone style wines or have a liking for Italian and Spanish style wines we hope both Consilience and Tre Anelli wines capture your attention!

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color with a touch of bricking at the edge.  The dark and inviting nose has blackberries, dying wood embers, black pepper, blueberries, melted licorice, smoked meat, forest floor, dark bittersweet chocolate, and vanilla.  This has a full body, fairly solid ripe tannins, and decent acidity.  This is so big on the palate, you almost instinctively start to chew it.  On the palate there are layer upon layer of fruit, dark chocolate, and meaty elements with more alcohol poking through than I remember from past bottles.  The finish has decent length but could use a bit more acidity to help support the massive flavors.  Based on this bottle the wine has peaked and may be starting its long, gradual decline.  Probably needs consumed over the next year or two at most.  (88 pts)

 

 

2007 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard – $29.99

Villa Creek is one of my favorite wineries.  This wine along with their Avenger wine are my favorites they produce.  The winery produces several very nice red wines, most of them being innovative blends from the big name vineyards in the Paso Robles area.  Besides the reds, they also produce a very nice white Rhone styled wine and a good Rosé.  The winery is worth the effort of tracking down a few bottles either locally or through their website.

 

While doing a bit of digging, I noticed the winery used a tasting note of mine from CellarTracker on their website.

 

This has 14.8% abv and is closed with a Stelvin LUX+ stopper.

 

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 ruby red color.  The very alluring nose has cherries, black raspberries, cola, warm baking spices, white pepper, violets, stony minerals, touch of pine needles, and some earthiness.  This has medium to full body, moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the spicy, peppery cherries grab hold first, slowly allowing some minerals and earthiness to slip into focus.  The finish has very nice length with a nice blend of fruit and savory elements.  This has exceptional balance and should drink well for at least another 3 or 4 years.  (93 pts)

 

 

2008 Turley Zinfandel Moore “Earthquake” Vineyard – $48.00

This, as well as their Ueberroth Vineyard was my favorite single vineyards Zins produced by Turley, other than their Hayne Vineyard, which is in a different class in both quality and price.  The operative word in the prior sentence is “was”.  This was the last vintage of this wine produced by Turley.  Most of the grapes now goes to Robert Biale Vineyards.

 

This has 15.8% alcohol by volume and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Winery history

In 1993, Turley Wine Cellars was founded by Larry Turley, brother of the well-known consulting winemaker Helen Turley.  Turley, had entered the wine business in 1981 as co-founder of the multi-varietal Frog’s Leap Winery, but soon realized that his interest lay in wines made from the Zinfandel grape.

 

Starting out with just one location in St. Helena, Turley Wine Cellars soon expanded to Templeton with the purchase of the historic Pesenti winery, where Zinfandel had been planted since 1923.

 

As of 2000, Turley Wine Cellars has had a two-year waiting list for new wine club customers.

 

In 2007, Turley Wine Cellars was producing approximately 14,000 cases a year of both single-vineyard and regional Zinfandel wines.

 

By 2011, Turley Wine Cellars was annually producing approximately 16,000 cases of award winning Zinfandel and Petite Sirah wines using multiple “small” vineyards located in Napa and Sonoma counties, and other Paso Robles locations.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby to garnet color.  The nose on this wine is a show stopper, filled with brambly berries, stony minerals, black pepper, roasted herbs, kirsch, violets, warm baking spices and licorice.  This full bodied wine has moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate this the brambly berries and pepper up front with nice savory elements coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length but does show some alcohol.  (92 pts)

 

 

We did up some barbecue chicken for dinner with potato salad and deviled eggs.  With the upcoming cold weather season, this may be the last time we can enjoy the BBQ chicken until Spring.

 

 

 

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 Villa Creek Garnacha Denner Vineyard – $35.00

 

My comments

This is perennially one of my favorite Grenache wines from California.  This is usually a nice ripe, but not overly ripe, spicy Grenache full of red fruit, and nice acidic “bite” when young.  I generally have a hard time keeping my hands off this wine, but I was able to keep a bottle in the cellar for close to 5 years to see how well it aged.  This should be a nice way to kick off a weekend in style.

 

If you’ve never had a bottle of wine from Villa Creek, I highly recommend trying a bottle.

 

Winery history

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

 

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby color.  The very inviting nose has raspberries, black cherries, baking spices, dried herbs, strawberries, and hints of vanilla and earthy elements.  This has medium body with soft, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  Tart, juicy fruit highlights the palate with nice spiciness, dried herbs, and earthy notes coming in from the sidelines adding considerable depth.  The finish is fairly long with a solid wall of fruit, spice, and dried herbs very slowly fading away.  This is in its prime drinking window now, but should hold for at least a couple more years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

 2003 Georges Dubœuf Moulin-à-Vent Prestige – $12.74

 

My comments

I had a bottle of this wine a couple months ago and it was wonderful.  I decided to take a bottle for a couple of wine friends to sample.  Conventional wisdom says this wine should be dead.  I keep my cellar pretty cold, generally 50 to 52 degrees, which usually adds some time to a wine’s life.  I bought and drank a ton of the 2003 Beaujolais wines but purposely saved a few bottles to experiment with how they would age.  This wine was aged in 100% new oak, so I felt it would have the best shot at outlasting the normal life span.

 

Winery history

For over 40 years Georges Duboeuf has been the Beaujolais region’s most renowned négociant and is today regarded in the wine world as the “King of Beaujolais.” Born in 1933 in Pouilly-Fuissé, the son of a winegrower, Georges began selling his family’s wines from the back of his bicycle to now-legendary local chefs such as Paul Bocuse and Paul Blanc. In 1964, Georges realized his dream and founded his own company: Les Vins Georges Duboeuf.

Over the years, Georges has developed long-standing relationships with the region’s top growers and winemakers. Georges is involved in every aspect of his enterprise and is known for his passion and his legendary palate. In 2003, the Duboeuf family opened a new, modern winery in Romanéche-Thorins. The following year, the Duboeuf and Deutsch families jointly purchased Château des Capitans in Juliénas. With annual sales of 30 million bottles, Georges Duboeuf is one of the world’s best-known French brands.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine was a dull, light to medium ruby color with a fair amount of brick.  The exotic nose had raspberries, black cherries, sandalwood, warm baking spices, dried flowers, and just a touch of underbrush.  This is barely medium body with fully integrated tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the wine gives a quick burst of red to black fruit then slowly transforms to the more savory elements.  The finish is the opposite of the palate, the savory elements slowly fade leaving some candied cherry and spice.  This is a wonderful, 9 year old Beaujolais, and based on this bottle, I have no fear letting a bottle lay for a couple extra years.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2000 Azienda Pier Barbaresco Riserva Vila – $26.99

 

My comments

I absolutely love a nice, well aged, Barbaresco.  I actually prefer a Barbaresco over the more highly regarded Barolo.  Both wines are made with the Nebbiolo grapes in the Piedmont region in Italy.

 

Winery history (from the winery, could use some clean up on their end)

The date ’78 marks the history of the Grasso’s family.  1878 was born the grandfather Pietro and after exactly one hundred years his grandson Pier Paolo.  The conduction of the activity is therefore domestic and based on skills handed down first by the grandfather Pietro, then by the father Giuseppe.  On the footsteps of his forefathers is now the son Pier Paolo who decided to continue and to boost an activity which was until now only aimed to the selling of the grapes to some prestigious wine cellars in the area.

 

During the last years the family thought therefore more seriously to make a dream come true and thanks to their spirit of self-sacrifice the Grassos built their own wine cellar.

 

Although in the present circumstances the Company can already produce 30.000 bottles of wine in all different wine categories, everything is now ready to reach in a short time the production of 80.000 units per year and this will be possible by making wine out of the whole today’s possible production, thanks also to the vines planted out in 1997 on the new owned vineyards.

 

The Company is situated about seven kilometres from Alba, the Langhe’s capital, and more precisely in Treiso, a village with a great wine vocation.  The wines produced here come from renowned vineyards which have always been property of the Grasso’s family.  The grapes grow and ripen in the prestigious suri of this region situated in the immediate vicinity of the Grassos’ wine cellar, from where you can even enjoy the beautiful landscape of the hillsides crowned by the Alpes – where the Monviso stands out majestically – all way down to Alba.

 

Everybody who is longing for the savours and scents of the good old days cannot therefore but come to visit us: the Grasso’s family is any time glad and disposed to bring such emotions to life again through guided visits and also by hosting you in a typical “tasting room” where rich wines’ sampling will express by themselves their capacity of producing a traditional Barbaresco accompanied by other valuable wines like Dolcetto and Barbera.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is medium to deep ruby color with considerable bricking.  On the very appealing nose there are cherries, roses, tree bark, leather, tobacco, smoke, and some earthy dustiness.  This has medium body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and very good acidity.  Nice earthy, spicy, red fruit on the palate with the tannins and acidity providing ample support.  Decent length on the finish but the tannins and acidity clip it a bit when they kick in. Tastes very nice now, but no hurry on remaining bottles. This could still improve as the tannins more fully integrate.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard – $45.00

 

My comments

Rhys wines have a cult like following.  I am a big fan, but not really a member of the “cult”.  Rhys Pinots are usually a bit rough and tumble in their youth, and require a fair amount of cellar time to come together and show well.  These are not your typical, jammy, fruit driven, California Pinot Noir wines.

 

Winery history

Our winemaking is focused on accomplishing the following goals:

 

Pure, silky concentration that can only be achieved through low yields

Beautiful balance with no component revealing itself separate from the whole

Fruit that tastes fresh-picked and perfectly ripe, not jammy

Capturing complex aromatics

Ability to age and improve in the bottle. Nothing compares to the aromatic beauty of aged wine!

Thrilling complexity and beguiling interest that never leaves you bored

Wines with a strong sense of somewhereness (rather than someoneness)

 

Consistent with our organic/biodynamic approach to viticulture, we believe that hands-off winemaking provides for enhanced vineyard expression and complexity.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The exotic and sexy nose features cherries, black raspberries, crushed stones, white pepper, Asian spices, fresh cut flowers and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium body with fairly stiff tannins and outstanding acidity.  On the palate spicy red and black fruit dominate with white pepper and some earthiness in the background.  The wine has a long, lingering finish with tart, spicy cherries and some earthiness lingering seemingly forever.  This is still very young and could use a couple more years in the cellar to fully reveal itself.  As is, this is very good with considerable upside.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2000 Smith Woodhouse Porto Late Bottled Vintage

 

My comments

I’m generally not a big fan of sweet, dessert wines.  But I have to admit, at times a nice Port or a PX Sherry can help make a night special.  The local wine store I frequent had a tasting of Port wines one evening, and I was able to grab about a half bottle of the “left overs”.

 

Winery history

Christopher Smith, Member of The British Parliament and Lord Mayor of London, founded a small company to ship Port from the Douro in 1784.  Some years later the Woodhouse brothers joined him.  Since 1970, Smith Woodhouse has been owned by the Symington family, Port producers since the 19th century.

 

For more information about the Symington family please visit the

Symington Family Estates website.  http://www.symington.com/

 

Through the last two hundred years, this small Port company has built a reputation for outstanding Vintage Ports.  In frequent blind tastings, Smith Woodhouse earns top marks.

 

The Company’s 1977 Vintage was awarded 99 points by the Wine Spectator and judged as the finest VintagePort of this year.  Decanter magazine also judged the Smith Woodhouse 1977: A classic of all times and the best of the Vintage (Nov. 1992).

 

Smith Woodhouse Ports have outstanding length and structure and are drier than most.  Its Vintage Ports show a characteristic opulent rich style, balanced by firm hard tannins.  Ageing gives these wines an unmatched elegance.

 

My Tasting Note

This is a deep, dark maroon color.  The warm and friendly nose has blackberries, plums, dark chocolate, baking spices, licorice, and a touch of cherry.  This had a full body with ripe tannins, good acidity, and more on the rich side than overtly sweet.  On the palate this is like a warm berry pie with nice jammy berries and spices.  The finish is fairly long and echoes the warm pie from the palate.  Not as sweet as some Port wines, but very tasty.  A nice wine to sip while watching the snow fall from the sky…like I am right now.   (90 pts)

 

 

 

2002 Chalone Vineyard Syrah Chalone – $19.99

 

My comments

Ever find a bottle of wine that some how always got bypassed when you were selecting a bottle for dinner?  That was the case with this wine.  I bought a couple from the local store a few (several?) years ago and drank all but one.  I liked the wine, but for some reason the last, solitary bottle was never pulled.  I decided to rectify that situation today.  Hopefully I didn’t wait too long and it’s dead, but I don’t think that should be the case.  Checking my old notes, this should still be good, perhaps even better than it was years ago when I opened my previous bottle.

 

Winery history

The oldest producing vineyard in MontereyCounty, Chalone Vineyard Estate rests on the Gavilan Mountain Range on the north slope of ChalonePeak.  At 1,800 feet, the quiet splendor of the vineyards overlooks spectacular views of the wide-open SalinasValley, made famous by local author John Steinbeck.  The vineyard’s name comes from the peak, which derives its name from the indigenous Costanoan Native American tribe, the Chalone, or Chollen.

 

1919: The first planting

The first viticultural activity began shortly after the turn of the 20th century when Charles Tamm, wandering California in search of soil similar to that of his native Burgundy, stumbled upon the property that is now Chalone Vineyard.  In 1919 Tamm planted what is today the oldest producing Chenin Blanc in MontereyCounty.  During Prohibition, the grapes were sold to wineries making sacramental wines.

 

1946: Expansion

In 1946 the vineyard now called “The Lower Vineyard,” was planted by Will Silvear with more Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, and he added Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir.  Silvear made some wine in Watsonville (we have an empty bottle of “Silvear’s Light Wine,” that was found in a rubble pile).  He also sold grapes to the Wente family and Georges de Latour at Beaulieu in Napa.  Mr. Silvear died in 1955 and his wife continued to operate the vineyard for a while, finally selling it to Dr. Liska and Mr. Sigman.  They operated the vineyard for several years.

 

1960: Chalone label introduced

The first wine produced under the Chalone label was made in 1960 by Philip Togni, in what had been a brooding shed for chickens.  Daily trips to Salinas for ice, which at that time was an hour and a half away, provided the cooling needed for the wine cellar.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby color.  The slightly reserved nose has blackberries, cherries, leather, dried herbs, tobacco, white pepper, earthy elements, and some dark chocolate.  This has medium body at best with fully integrated tannins and very nice acidity.  The wine is much more outgoing on the palate than the nose lead me to expect.  The palate features solid cherry and dried herbs components with blackberry, white pepper, and a touch of earthiness adding considerable depth.  This finish has decent length with peppery, spicy, cherries slowly giving way to a touch of dark chocolate.  A very nice California Syrah that is approaching drink up time.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2001 Domaine Giraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape – $14.99

 

My comments

This is another bottle that slipped through the cracks over the years.  I always seemed to find a bottle I wanted to open just a little bit more.  I grabbed several bottles during a Sam’s Wine Warehouse sale several years ago.  Magically all but this one disappeared fairly quickly.  I decided I wanted to hold one for a couple years but then didn’t get around to opening it.  Today is the day.

 

Winery history

Owned by François and Marie Giraud the 19 hectare Domaine Giraud is now rated among the best producers in Chateauneuf du Pape.  François is responsible for the vineyards and Marie for the vinification and together with Philippe Cambié, one of the Rhone’s most exceptional consultant wine makers, they have come up with a string of excellent vintages.  The 19 hectares are split between an 8 hectare plot in the ‘Gallimardes’ area in the south, which includes parcels of hundred-year old Grenache, and further sites in the Crau, the sandy soils near Chateau Rayas on the Pignan plateau, and the white rocky soils of the highest points of the appellation, and these too include vines over a hundred years old.

 

Much more information available at:  http://www.domainegiraud.fr/domaineen.html

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby color with just a touch of lightening at the edge.  The enticing nose has blackberries, dried herbs, black pepper, cherries, leather, and minerals.  This has medium body, a nice tannic backbone and very good acidity.  On the palate there are spicy, peppery berries with dried herbs and minerals adding nice depth and complexity.  The finish had decent length with the berries and dried herbs carrying most of the load.  A very mild mannered, food friendly CdP that is in a prime drinking window.  (92 pts)

 

 

For dinner with the Domaine Giraud, I made a Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, seasoned with fresh picked Rosemary and Thyme.  My wife made some Macaroni and Cheese and fresh green beans.

I more or less followed a recipe from Robert Mondavi Winery for the tenderloin.  The recipe is available at:  http://bit.ly/12g3s9R

 

 

 

Mailing Lists

 

Nothing new to report.  I mentioned receiving an offer from Sandler in my last post.  I grabbed six bottles, and as noted below, they should arrive next week.

 

 

 

Wines bought or received this week

I received some wines from Turley and Loring earlier in the week that I listed in my previous post.  The end of the week was pretty quiet.

 

This week will be pretty busy, I’ll be receiving wines from Sandler, Saxum, and more from Loring.

 

 

 

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!