2008 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Fairview Ranch

2011 Newton Claret

2007 Scherrer Winery Zinfandel Scherrer Shale Terrace

2007 Wild Hog Vineyard Petite Sirah Cache Creek

2007 Bisceglia Syrah Armille Basilicata

2010 Villa Creek Mas de Maha

2013 Siduri Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2008 Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva Badia a Passignano

2008 Villa Creek Bête Noire

 

 

 

2008 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Fairview Ranch – $35.00

There were 8 barrels of this wine produced.  This has 15.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  The wine is a deep, dark garnet color.  The masculine nose is full of blackberries, cassis, stone minerals, roasted herbs, white pepper, vanilla, spice and dried flowers.  This has a full body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  Spicy, peppery berries and minerals coat the palate on the front end with roasted herbs and vanilla coming in later.  The finish has very nice length with a dried floral note adding nice depth.  This is rich and luxurious with enough tannins and acidity to keep everything in check and to provide nice balance for such a big wine.  This can be opened now or through the end of the decade.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Newton Claret – $17.99

This vintage is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot, 4% Syrah, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec.  The wine has 14.0% alcohol.  The wine is a medium ruby red color.  The very appealing nose has cassis, cherries, cedar, dried herbs, dusty minerals, tobacco and dry earth.  This has a medium body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate nice fruit shares the stage with dusty minerals, cedar and dried herbs on the front end with dry earth and tobacco coming in later.  The finish has decent length but loses some of the early richness.  A perfectly acceptable week night cab blend.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Scherrer Winery Zinfandel Scherrer Shale Terrace – $17.50

This wine has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  The wine is a medium ruby color, much lighter than a typical zinfandel, this actually looks like a Pinot Noir.  The very tempting nose has brambly berries, cherries, baking spices, minerals, smoke, white pepper, wild flowers, and some earthiness.  The wine has medium body with moderate tannins and very good acidity.  The palate leans a bit more to the red fruit than black with cherries, spices, minerals, and nice earthiness.  The finish is fairly silky and smooth and lingers nicely. This is drinking very nicely but with great balance will last in the cellar for a few more years.   (93 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Wild Hog Vineyard Petite Sirah Cache Creek

A few years ago the local wine store ran this wine as an e-mail special.  It was a pretty easy decision to grab a case for well under $10 a bottle.  How often can you find a single vineyard Petite at that price?  I don’t know the specifics but according to the winery’s website this was the last vintage for the wine.  I know for a fact they made some in the 2008 vintage, since I have a case in my cellar.  At least I bought a case but I have opened a few bottles.

 

This has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

 

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The very masculine nose is loaded with blackberries, fresh ground black pepper, smoke, vanilla, eucalyptus, cherries, and wild flowers.  This has a fairly full body, moderate to solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  On the palate the peppery berries kick off the show with some smoke and vanilla coming in on the back end. A faint herbal note peaks out on the fairly long finish as well as some earthiness.  This tastes marvelous today and should hold for at least a couple more years.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Bisceglia Syrah Armille Basilicata

This wine was a free upgrade from Underground Cellars when I bought a few bottles of a lower end Australian Shiraz.  This 100% Italian Syrah has 14% alcohol.  The wine is a medium ruby color with a touch of brick at the edge.  The enticing nose has cherries, chalky minerals, baking spices, roasted herbs, anise, smoke, scorched earth and dried wild flowers.  This is barely medium body with soft integrated tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate the chalky minerals and baking spices jump out first with nice fruit in the background on the front end, scorched earth and dried flowers come in later.  The finish has decent length with the minerals and spices pushing the fruit into the background.  This probably needs to be opened over the next year or two but it will be a great companion to dinner.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Villa Creek Mas de Maha

This wine is a blend of 50% Tempranillo, 25% Grenache and 25% Carignan.  A total of 220 cases were produced.  The wine is a deep, dark garnet color.  The intoxicating nose has black cherries, vanilla bean, crushed stones, raspberries, warm baking spices, well worn leather, dark chocolate, earthy underbrush and violets.  This has a full body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  Crushed stones, spices and black cherries dominate the front end on the palate with nice earthiness and dark chocolate coming in later.  The finish has very good length with tart cherries, spice and minerals seeming to linger forever.  An outstanding effort.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Siduri Pinot Noir Russian River Valley – $29.99

This wine I generally pick up in bulk when I see it at a good price on a store’s shelf.  The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The sensuous nose has tart cherries, baking spices, wild flowers, white pepper, crushed stones and dry underbrush.  This silky wine has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  Tart cherries, white pepper and baking spices coat the palate on the front end with stony minerals and a nice floral note coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a bit of earthiness adding some depth.  This doesn’t offer a lot of complexity at this early point in its development but is still very tasty.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

I was in the mood for a very late Thanksgiving dinner.  We pretty much missed Thanksgiving this year since we were packing and loading the truck for our move from Wisconsin to South Carolina.  We saw a TV show where they made “waffles” from the dressing and served them with sliced turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy.  My wife mixed up some cornbread dressing, I put it in the waffle iron, heated up some sliced turkey breast and we had a non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner in late February.

 

 

2008 Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva Badia a Passignano – $30.39

A local wine store had a few bottles of this wine on their close-out rack at a great price, it is generally in the $45 neighborhood, so I had to grab a few bottles.  This wine is 100% Sangiovese.  The wine is a deep violet color.  The enticing nose has cherries, dusty minerals, raspberries, licorice, mint, baking spices, violets and scorched earth.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate tart cherries and berries jump out first with spices, mint and dusty minerals coming in quickly.  The finish has very good length with scorched earth entering the picture.  This is a very nice Chianti Classico Riserva, especially for the price I was able to find.  This is usually about 50% more than my price.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Villa Creek Bête Noire – $36.00

This wine is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Mourvedre from Denner and Booker Vineyards in Paso Robles.  The wine is a deep maroon color.  The very appealing nose has blackberries, smoked meat, crushed stone minerals, cherries, warm baking spices, black tea leaves, damp underbrush, dried flowers and dark chocolate.  This has a full body with moderate to solid tannins and nice acidity.  Juicy berries, crushed stones and baking spices coat the palate on the front end with cherries, black tea leaves and nice underbrush coming in later.  The finish has good length with cherries, minerals and spice carrying the bulk of the load.  This is tasting very nice right now, but should hold for a few more years.  Impressive!  (93 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 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!

 

 

2012 Coelho Winery Pinot Noir Atracao

2007 Finca Nueva Rioja Reserva

2012 Truett-Hurst The Fugitive

2012 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

2009 Villa Creek Granadina

2012 Loring Wine Company Grenache Russell Family Vineyard

2006 Copain Syrah Garys’ Vineyard

2011 Sextant Wines Zinfandel Wheelhouse

2011 Rocca Felice Nebbiolo d’Alba

2011 Quinta das Carvalhas Touriga Nacional Douro

 

 

 

2012 Coelho Winery Pinot Noir Atracao – $18.99

This wine has 12.94% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  The wine is a lighter ruby red color.  The enticing nose has black cherries, dusty minerals, smoke, roasted herbs, white pepper, wildflowers, orange zest and just a hint of dark chocolate.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  Tart cherries, minerals and white pepper hit the palate on the front end with roasted hers and a nice floral note coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a peppery fruit and a touch of spice carrying the load.  A nice, food friendly Oregon Pinot.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Finca Nueva Rioja Reserva – $16.99

This wine is 100% Tempranillo that was aged for 24 months in French oak.  The alcohol is 13% and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  The wine is a deep, saturated ruby color.  The very inviting nose has black cherries, crushed stones, tobacco, baking spices, dried herbs, dry earth and flowery potpourri.  This is barely medium body with very nice acidity and moderate tannins.  Fruit, spices and crushed stone minerals explode on the palate immediately with earthiness and a dried floral note coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with a touch of white pepper entering the picture.  This is in a great drinking window.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Truett-Hurst The Fugitive – $29.99

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The very open and exuberant nose is full of blackberries, smoky minerals, black pepper, black cherries, violets and dark chocolate.  This has medium to full body with soft ripe tannins and decent acidity.  This is front loaded with fruit and minerals on the palate with black pepper and flowers coming in late.  The finish has good length with some dark chocolate entering the picture.  I would have preferred a bit more closing intensity and focus, the low acidity and soft tannins allow the wine to lose some shape and balance on the finish.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Siduri Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands – $29.99

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The appealing nose has cherries, roasted herbs, violets, baking spices, earthy underbrush and raspberries.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate ripe cherries, spice and violets hit first with nice earthiness and raspberries coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with roasted herbs entering the picture.  I wouldn’t hold this one too long, this is drinking very nicely now.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Villa Creek Granadina – $40.00

This is a blend of 50% Carver Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Denner Vineyard Mourvedre.

 

Some of our favorite Cabernets from Paso Robles (Adelaida Cabs from the early 90’s, Lone Madrone’s Cabs from ‘96 and ‘97) evolved from the spectacular Carver Vineyard. Carver sits high on York Mountain and is just 7 miles from the Pacific Ocean, due west of Paso Robles. It is surrounded by lush oak forests and looks south and west upon the neighboring hilltops from its steep perch. The fruit off this property actually tastes like Cabernet Sauvignon. It has nice fruit, solid acidity and a spot of that herbal (not vegetal) component that is inherent in the grape. Cab and Mourvèdre are wonderful foils to one another, like chocolate and figs. The wines were fermented separately and aged for 1 year prior to assembly of the final blend. The Cabernet was aged in 100% new French barriques and the Mourvèdre was aged in second fill French Puncheons. The wine went back into barrel for an additional 10 months.

 

15.0% alcohol natural with a wax coating

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The spellbinding nose has cassis, black cherries, tobacco, crushed stone minerals, cedar, roasted herbs, licorice, road tar and a touch of underbrush.  This has a fairly full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  This bas bright fruit and minerals on the front end with roasted herbs, tobacco and spicy oak coming in later.  The finish has good length with a touch of underbrush entering the picture.  This has nice focus and balance right through the delightful finish.  This is a keeper that will provide pleasure over the next several years.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Loring Wine Company Grenache Russell Family Vineyard – $19.75

This wine has 14.9% ABV and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  The wine is a deep red color.  The slightly shy nose has cherries, baking spices, crushed stones, raspberries and violets.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate bright cherries and baking spices immediately take control, slowly allowing minerals a touch of dry earth to slip through.  The finish has nice length with a floral note entering the picture.  This is very easy to drink.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Copain Syrah Garys’ Vineyard – $50.00

This wine has 14.6% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  The wine is a deep garnet color.  The inviting nose has blackberries, violets, dark chocolate, dead wood embers and scorched earth.  This has a full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  Tart berries and spice coat the palate quickly with charred wood and scorched earth coming in on the back end.  The finish has great length with dark chocolate coming into the picture.  This is drinking very nicely right now and it should hold for a few more years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Sextant Wines Zinfandel Wheelhouse – $18.99

The wine sports a natural cork and has 14.4% alcohol.  The wine is a dark ruby to purple color.  The outgoing nose has brambly berries, baking spices, licorice, black pepper, dusty minerals and violets.  This has medium to full body with soft to moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate brambly berries, baking spices and black pepper dominate the front end with a floral note coming in late.  The finish has decent length but does not have much complexity.  This is an easy drinking wine to share with friends.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Rocca Felice Nebbiolo d’Alba – $13.99

This has 13.5% alcohol and is sealed with an agglomerated cork.  The wine is a light red to ruby color.  The enticing nose has cherries, dusty minerals, roses, spice, violets and a hint of road tar.  This has a medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate tart cherries, spice and minerals jump out first with a nice floral note coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with a touch of road tar entering the picture.  This is a very nice, week night Italian Nebbiolo, especially for under $15.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Quinta das Carvalhas Touriga Nacional Douro – $16.99

This wine was aged for 12 months in oak barrels, 50% of which were new.  The wine is a deep, dark ruby color.  The very satisfying nose has cherries, berries, forest floor, smoky embers, minerals and baking spices.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate forest floor and minerals jump out first with fruit coming into the picture later as well as nice spice.  The finish has decent length but could use a bit more depth which could come with a bit of cellar time.  For now, this is a very nice, reasonably priced change of pace wine.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

Spicy New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp

 

One of our favorite “special treat” dinners is this delicious shrimp recipe.  If you’ve never been to New Orleans or have had barbecue shrimp, this dish is well worth a try.  It is quick (other than letting it sit in the refrigerator) and easy.

 

We’ve tried several different versions of this New Orleans classic dish, but this is the one we now use.

 

 

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 – 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

 

Savory, spicy, shrimp that you can’t quit eating…use crusty, French bread to sop up every last drop!

 

ingredients:

2 pounds fresh,jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup butter, melted

4 tablespoons Heinz Chili Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke (hickory)

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

5 cloves fresh garlic, minced

 

directions:

Peel and devein the shrimp.

 

Add all of the other ingredients in a saucepan, stir and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and let cool.

 

Arrange the shrimp in an oven- proof casserole dish and pour the sauce over the shrimp.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake shrimp for 15 – 20 minutes.

 

Serve immediately with crusty French bread, new potatoes and a crisp salad.

 

Click here to visit the Return to Sunday Supper website.

 

 

The shrimp and sauce ready to go into the refrigerator.

 

The finished dish straight from the oven.

 

We like the buttery potatoes and a side dish with the shrimp, but the most important companion for the shrimp is a large supply of crusty bread.  You won’t want to miss a drop of that scrumptious sauce.

 

 

 

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!

 

 

2011 Treasure Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2009 Stolpman Syrah Estate Grown

2004 Bodegas Castano Yecla Casa Cisca

2001 Clos Pegase Home Ranch Reserve Port Home Ranch

2012 Sextant Wines Zinfandel

2012 Pierre-Henri Morel Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues

2009 Balgownie Estate Shiraz

2013 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard

N.V. Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé

2006 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino

 

 

 

2011 Treasure Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – $28.49

This is a new purchase from this “négociant’ label.  The “winery” buys excess wine from traditional wineries, bottles it, and turns over their inventory fairly quickly.  The wineries are generally eager to sell off their unwanted wines so Treasure Hunter gets the juice at a VERY big discount.  One of the usual stipulations is that the source of the grapes/wine remains anonymous.  In this case, the name of the original winery was “accidently” slipped, so I know who supposedly made the wine, but I’m sworn to secrecy.

 

Here is the info from Treasure Hunter’s website:

Occasionally we find a wine that is so special, it deserves its own label. This is one of those wines. It is a cult wine from a cult winery it just happens to cost a whole lot less. Lucky you.

 

If the source is accurate, the winery produces two cabernet sauvignons, the least expensive costs north of $100 a bottle.  The other cabernet produced by the winery has a community average cost on Cellar Tracker of well over $300 a bottle.

 

This wine is available for sell on the Treasure Cellars website for $45.00 a bottle, click here for more info.

 

The wine has 14.7% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The very inviting nose has cassis, dark bittersweet chocolate, dried herbs, eucalyptus, cherries, minerals, cigar box, and some “Rutherford Dust” (if this is from Rutherford).  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  On the palate big cassis and eucalyptus grab hold eventually allowing cherries, dark chocolate, and some dried herbs enter into the mix.  The finish has very good length with a very slight green herbaceous element creeping in on the back end.  This is extremely young and has a very bright future.  Even at this early stage in its development, the wine has impeccable balance.  I’m sure with some cellar time the slight green element will integrate.  This rating is totally out the window in another couple years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Stolpman Syrah Estate Grown – $19.99

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The very pleasing nose has blackberries, licorice, cedar, freshly cracked black peppercorns, violets, dark chocolate, warm baking spices and a touch of road tar.  This has medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate juicy berries, baking spices and black pepper jump out first with spicy oak and dark chocolate coming in on the back end.  The finish had very nice length with a nice floral note entering the picture.  Very nice!  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2004 Bodegas Castano Yecla Casa Cisca – $18.99

The wine is in a very thick, heavy bottle.  This has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby color.  The exotic nose is full of warm berry pie, cherries, Asian spices, cedar, tobacco, earthy underbrush, minerals, dark chocolate, wild flowers, and a touch of vanilla.  This has medium to full body, moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  The wine is lighter and brighter on the palate than I was expecting based on the slightly brooding nose.  Asian spice and tart cherries lead off the show with minerals and cedar making an appearance on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with minerals, spicy oak and some earthiness adding to the complexity.  This is still on the younger side and some additional cellar time will be rewarded.  That said, with some air this vibrant and bright wine is immensely enjoyable today.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2001 Clos Pegase Home Ranch Reserve Port Home Ranch – $28.00

This was a 375 ml bottle, sealed with a natural cork.  The wine has 18.5% alcohol.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The enticing nose has blackberries, black pepper, melted licorice and baking spices.   This has a full body with moderate tannins, good acidity and nice sweetness.  On the palate ripe berries and spice hit first with pepper coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with nice lingering sweetness.  This has nice richness without being cloyingly sweet.  This doesn’t have much complexity but is a nice way to end an evening.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Sextant Wines Zinfandel – $14.99

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The playful nose has juicy blackberries, baking spices, black pepper, vanilla bean, licorice, dusty minerals, dried flowers and freshly ground coffee beans.  This has medium to full body with soft to moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  Ripe, juicy berries and spices coat the palate on the front end with black pepper and minerals coming in later.  The finish adds dried flowers and coffee beans to the ripe berries.  This is a ripe and jammy zin that is very easy to drink.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Pierre-Henri Morel Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues – $11.99

This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Carignan.  The wine has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a slightly dull ruby red color.  The promising nose has blackberries, minerals, white pepper, licorice, dried herbs, cherries, dying wood embers and baking spices.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate tart berries, minerals and white pepper immediately grab your attention with dried herbs and a smoky element coming in later.  The finish has nice length with berries and white pepper doing the heavy lifting.  For such a young wine this is drinking very nicely.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Balgownie Estate Shiraz – $25.00

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark, inky ruby color.  The nose has blackberries, minerals, baking spices, smoke, cherries, cedar, licorice and dried flowers.  This has medium to full body with moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  Ripe berries, minerals and spices coat the palate on the front end with spicy oak and a nice floral note coming in later.  The finish has nice length with dark chocolate and a smoky element joining in.  This is probably in its prime and should be enjoyed over the next couple of years.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard – $24.00

This is from a 375 ml bottle fresh off the delivery truck.  This has 14.3% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a touch lighter than ruby red.  The promising nose has cherries, crushed stone minerals, baking spices, raspberries, roasted herbs, licorice, orange zest and subtle underbrush.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate bright fruit and spice hit first with nice crushed stone coming in later.  The finish adds roasted herbs and some nice earthiness.  This is extremely young but shows great promise.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

N.V. Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé – $16.62

Domaine Lucien Albrecht is one of the oldest and leading Alsace family owned estate, tracing its roots back to 1425.  Through the Albrecht eighteen generations, they have become one of the largest owners of prime Alsace hillside vineyards.  In the early 70’s, Lucien Albrecht, the father of Jean, the current proprietor and winemaker, was one of the three founding fathers of the regulated Crémant d’Alsace.  In 2004, Lucien Albrecht Crémants made history.  At the 14th Concours National des Crémants de France (Crémant Wine Challenge), they stole the show, winning an unprecedented Four Gold Medals.

 

Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir.  The whole cluster hand-picked grapes are softly pressed in a pneumatic press, hence the coral, light pink salmon color.  Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé is made by using the same methods as in Champagne, i.e “method traditionnelle”.  After the second fermentation in the bottle, lee ageing lasts for nine months, followed by remuage and disgorging.

 

This has 12.0% alcohol by volume.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright salmon pink color.  The enticing nose has cherries, strawberries, minerals, yeasty bread and a hint of citrus zest.  The wine has light body with crisp acidity and sporadic pinpoint bubbles after an initial blast of bubbles left a nice mousse.   Cherries, strawberries and minerals dominate the palate.  The finish has great length with just a hint of lingering sweetness.  Not a lot of complexity but very tasty.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino – $32.00

This is a new winery for me, but it came with a high recommendation from a friend that knows his Italian wines.  I love a big Brunello, especially with beef that has been seasoned with Italian herbs and spices.

 

Winery history

Altesino is a leader in various, important innovations in the production of Sangiovese from Montalcino, causing it to stand out and become a reference point for the entire territory.

 

Some of the positive contributions putting Montalcino on the world map are: the introduction of the “Cru” (Montosoli) concept in 1975, the first experiments with barriques in ’79, the production in ’77 of the first Grappa from a winery and the first Futures (purchasing wine before its release) for Brunello 1985.

 

Over the last forty years an intense relationship has been developed with the land full of history, with its almost sensual beauty that is physically perceived and its subtle charm that reaches the body and soul.

 

This is the philosophy that inspires Altesino to produce wine and maintain its culture.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby red, with a much lighter meniscus.  The very inviting nose has raspberries, cherries, warm baking spices, eucalyptus, wild flowers, dark chocolate, earthy underbrush, and some spicy oak.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate leads off with tart, juicy, red fruit but nice spice, oak, and a touch of eucalyptus come into the picture adding depth.  The long finish is full of spicy fruit, oak, and some nice earthiness.  Tasty today but this should add some complexity with additional cellar time.  (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 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!

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard

2008 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva

2010 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallières Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet

2012 Truett-Hurst Zinfandel Three Vineyards

2005 Copain Syrah James Berry Vineyard

2012 Gordon Estate Syrah

 

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard – $46.00

The wine is a deep purple color.  The intoxicating nose has blackberries, minerals, baking spices, black cherries, licorice, raspberries, a touch of smoke and subtle earthiness.  This has medium to full body, moderate tannins and very good acidity.  Loads of spicy berries and minerals dominate the front end with black cherries and earthy elements coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length but does show just a touch of alcohol, but not enough to take away from the wine.  This is a very nice combination of a big, rich California Pinot but with plenty of tannins and acidity to provide support and balance. An outstanding effort.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Chianti Rùfina Nipozzano Riserva – $17.59

This wine is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Malvasia Nera, Colorino, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wine had 13.5% alcohol and the bottle was sealed with a natural cork.  Attempting to pull the cork caused it to split leaving floating pieces.  Pouring the wine through a very fine mesh strainer helped to remove most of the fragments.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice ruby red color.  The comforting nose has cherries, earthy underbrush, baking spices, tobacco, stony minerals, violets and well worn leather.  This has medium body with soft tannins and good acidity.  On the palate bright cherries, spice and minerals initially grab all the attention with some nice earthiness and a floral note in the background.  The finish has nice length with the earthiness and violets sharing the lead role with tart cherries.  This is in a nice place in its evolution, but I wouldn’t hold it for too much longer.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallières Côtes du Rhône Villages Sablet – $9.89

This wine has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright maroon color.  The inviting nose has blackberries, crushed stones, dried herbs, dying wood embers and freshly ground dark roast coffee.  This has a medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate berries and a wall of crushed stone minerals jump out first with dried herbs and a nice smoky element coming in later.  The finish has good length with dark roast coffee and cherries adding very good depth.  This tastes great now but will be better in another year or two.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

I cooked up a pork tenderloin to go with the Domaine Notre Dame, just not in a normal manner.

 

I started with a Pork Tenderloin with a touch of Montreal Steak seasoning then wrapped it in bacon.

 

I the smoked the tenderloin at a low temperature for four hours.

 

Lastly, I briefly put the twnderloin on a hot grill for a couple minutes to crisp up the bacon.

 

The tenderloin was tender and very juicy.  The smokiness and nice peppery spice made it a perfect partner for the wine.

 

 

 

2012 Truett-Hurst Zinfandel Three Vineyards – $22.99

This wine has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The tempting nose has brambly berries, licorice, dusty minerals, white pepper, baking spices, dried flowers and a touch of underbrush.  Ripe, spicy berries and dusty minerals coat the palate on the front end with white pepper and spices coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a dried floral note and some subtle earthiness entering the picture.  This is a nice middle of the road Dry Creek zinfandel.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Copain Syrah James Berry Vineyard – $60.00

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby to maroon color.  The big and bold nose has blackberries, smoked meat, minerals, blueberries, tar, black pepper, bittersweet chocolate, and some earthiness.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins, and very nice acidity.  The wine isn’t as big on the palate as the nose lead me to expect, it’s actually very civilized.  The palate has nice rich fruit but equal amounts of savory elements to steer clear of getting too fruity and boring.  The tannins and acidity easily holds everything in place and maintain control.  The finish is fairly long with some dark chocolate and earthiness creeping in to add considerable interest.  I may have been in the minority, but I liked this style of Copain Syrah.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Gordon Estate Syrah – $21.99

The wine has 13.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon garnet color.  The appealing nose has blackberries, crushed stones, dried herbs, blueberries, smoke, vanilla bean, licorice, dark chocolate and subtle earthy underbrush.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate nice fruit and stony minerals hit first with dried herbs and dark chocolate coming in later.  The finish has nice length with smoke and underbrush coming into the picture and well as a closing blueberry note.  This is on the young side but already very tasty.  (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 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!

 

 

2009 Turley Zinfandel Fredericks Vineyard

2006 Copain Syrah Les Voisins McDowell Valley

2013 Meiomi Pinot Noir

2011 Shingleback Shiraz Wine Maker’s Series

2012 Sobon Estate Zinfandel Old Vines

2006 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley

 

 

 

2009 Turley Zinfandel Fredericks Vineyard – $42.00

The wine has 15.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The inviting nose has brambly berries, warm baking spices, cracked black peppercorns, tart cherries, wood embers, dried herbs and underbrush.  This has a full body with moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate brambly berries and spice jump out first with cherries and a blast of black pepper coming in later.  The finish has very nice length with the berries and black pepper carrying the load.  For a high ABV wine, this is actually lithe and well balanced, not heavy and overbearing.  A very nice job by a top notch winery.  (93 pts)

 

 

2006 Copain Syrah Les Voisins McDowell Valley – $35.00

This wine has 13.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The open and expressive nose has blackberries, stony minerals, olive tapenade, smoky embers, black cherries, baking spices, dried wild flowers, licorice and some subtle earthiness.  This has medium body with integrated tannins and good acidity.  This has nice spicy fruit and minerals on the front end with olives and a smoky element coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with some dark chocolate entering the picture.  This is drinking very nicely right now and it should hold for another year or two.   (91 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Meiomi Pinot Noir – $18.99

This twist off cap sealed with has 13.8% alcohol.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The enticing nose has black cherries, warm baking spices, violets, vanilla bean, dead wood embers and some earthiness.  This has medium body with soft, ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate ripe, juicy cherries and spice lead the way with smoky wood and a nice floral note coming in late.  The finish has nice length with bright cherries and subtle earthiness carrying the load.  This is a nice, easy drinking Pinot for a week night dinner or to share with friends over conversation.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Shingleback Shiraz Wine Maker’s Series – $19.79

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

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The mysterious nose has blackberries, roasted herbs, spice, olives, flinty minerals, road tar, tobacco and wild flowers.  This has a medium body with moderate tannins and bright acidity.  On the palate the berries, spice and olives jump out first with minerals and a touch of earthiness coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with the fruit taking on a redder character to join the roasted herbs.  Not a lot of complexity but tasty none the less.  Don’t expect a big, ripe, syrupy Aussie Shiraz.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Sobon Estate Zinfandel Old Vines – $13.99

This wine has 14.5% alcohol and has a twist off closure.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The inviting nose has brambly berries, crushed stones, white pepper, cherries, tobacco, iron shavings, licorice and a floral based potpourri.  This has a medium to full body with moderate  to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Brambly berries, minerals and white pepper coat the palate, slowly allowing a floral note to creep in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with tobacco and a hint of iron adding depth.  Not very complex but a winner for under $15.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Novy Family Wines Syrah Russian River Valley – $22.99

The wine has 14.1% alcohol and a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color, lighter at the edge.  The spellbinding nose has blackberries, crushed stones, plums, cherries, baking spices, smoked meat, freshly cracked black peppercorns, vanilla bean and a touch of earthy underbrush.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  Tart berries, stones and spice initially coat the palate slowly allowing plums, black pepper and smoked meat to slip in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with tart cherries and some subtle earthiness coming into the picture adding nice depth.  This wine is in a marvelous drinking window.  (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 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!

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This bottle of wine was a “house warming” gift from the winery.  As gifts go, this one was one of the best I have ever received.  I know the wine will be better down the road but I wanted to try the wine so I could decide how many to buy.  With the miniscule production, I didn’t want to miss out and be kicking myself in the years to come.

 

 

The Winery

New Jersey natives John and Karen Troisi are the owner/vintners of Jean Edwards Cellars.  If you’re scratching your head wondering how John and Karen arrived at Jean Edwards for the name of their winery, the answer is simple, they used their middle names.  The third member of the Jean Edwards team is Kian Tavakoli, their consulting winemaker.

 

Karen and John started producing wines commercially in 2004.  The first wine they released was a 2004 Stagecoach Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  A few months after the wine was released, Wine Spectator asked them to supply their magazine with a sample.  A little while later, they awarded the wine 92 points.  A couple months later, Wine Spectator included them in an article titled, “Twenty new cabernet producers to watch” in their annual Cabernet issue.

 

The winery focuses their production on Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon but they added a petite sirah (also top notch) in 2012 and will introduce their first white wine with the 2014 vintage – a sauvignon blanc from Rutherford.  Yes, you read that right, a white wine!

 

Right before the earthquake the winery moved from the Michael Mondavi Winery in Carneros (it was sold) to a new state-of-the-art winery in Napa.

 

Much more information on the winery is available on their website by clicking here.  The winery is also very active on Facebook and Twitter.

 

I highly recommend joining the winery’s mailing list by clicking here.  Members of the mailing list are never under any obligation to buy a specific amount of wine to stay on the mailing list.  Members of the mailing list get a very nice “Friends and Family” discount.

 

 

The Wine (from the winery)

Our 2012 Rutherford Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon comes from an historic vineyard in the heart of the Rutherford Bench.

 

 

  

2012 Jean Edwards Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Rutherford – SRP $90

This is a blend of 98% Cabernet Sauvignon with 2% Hossfield Vineyard Petit Verdot.  The wine was aged for 22 months in 100% French oak, 70% new and the remainder was one year old.  The total production was a miniscule 60 cases.

 

The wine has 14.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The stunning nose is full of cassis, warm baking spices, cherries, tobacco, cedar, dusty minerals, dying wood embers, dried herbs, wildflowers and a hint of eucalyptus.  This has medium body with solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate rich fruit, spice and minerals immediately grab your attention, slowly allowing wood embers and cedar to slip into the picture.  The finish has very good length with tobacco and a dried herb note coming into focus.  This is incredibly young with a big tannic bite but already a worthy foil for a piece of juicy, grilled beef.  This is delicious now but will be even better as this decade draws to a close.  (96 pts)

 

 

Conclusion

Like they say, put up or shut up.  I very much enjoyed this wine and ordered a three pack of this wine as well as a six bottle sampler pack that included two more bottles.

 

 

 

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!

 

 

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!

 

 

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

In the past, I have been lucky enough to be included in a few online tastings featuring wines from some of the small, family owned wineries of Lodi.  During a couple of the events, wines from St. Amant were included in the groups.  The wines caught my attention as wines worthy of being “hunted down”.  A couple weeks ago, I saw this wine on the shelf at a local wine store and immediately grabbed a couple bottles.

 

If your knowledge of wines from Lodi is based on a taste of a large production wine from a giant winery, you owe it to yourself to check out the outstanding wines being produced in a much smaller quantity by the smaller artisan wineries in the region.

 

 

The Winery

St. Amant was founded in 1981 by Tim Spencer and his wife, Barbara St. Amant Spencer.  The couple started out by grafting over two acres of Zinfandel vines to the Portuguese varieties, Avarelhao, BastardoSouzao, Tinta Cao and Touriga Nacional.  Eventually other European grapes were added like Tempranillo and Barbera.

 

In 1992 the winery began working with the Lodi Winegrape Commission to produce single-vineyard, small production wines for them to market the region.  At that point, virtually no Lodi labeled wines were being made and the Commission wanted to showcase the quality of Lodi vineyards by demonstrating their potential with small artisan winemaking.

 

In 1996 after a legal battle with their landlord, the family had to quickly move the winery to a new location.  They found a place in Lodi, and setup shop at the old Guild Winery.  This was a post prohibition era winery, built in the late 1930’s.  It was anything but picturesque, but it was functional, and allowed the family to continue making wines.

 

The winery released their first Lodi “branded” Zinfandel wine in 1997, as they say, the rest is history.

 

It was also at this time the family vineyard was dying of phyloxera.  When the vineyard dies in a winery that makes wine from the grapes they grow, it could be a problem if not a catastrophe.  At that point Tim Spencer worked out a deal with the Lodi Winegrape Commission – if a grower brought them 2 tons of grapes, they would make the wine, give them 25 cases, and keep the balance for themselves.  They had numerous growers take them up on the offer.  One day Jerry Fry showed up with 7 tons of beautiful Old Vine Zinfandel grapes.  Tim didn’t know what to do, he didn’t have the money to pay for the grapes, and they had no idea how the wine would turn out.  Jerry told him not to worry about it, that they would work it out later.  The winery ended up bottling 450 cases of that first vintage.  It won a bunch of awards, sold out quickly, and has since grown to be their most popular wine.

 

Much more information about the winery, family and their wines is available by clicking here.

 

 

From the winery, in their words

Upon entering our winery a visitor once remarked, “Oh! This doesn’t look like a winery.” My dad quickly replied, “There are tanks, barrels, picking bins, and cases of wine. What is a winery supposed to look like?” She replied, “You know, picnic tables, t-shirts, gift items!” He retorted, “Lady! I think you will be much happier visiting somewhere else, and I know I will!”

 

While my father may not have attended the Disney school of customer service, his point was that our winery was built to make wine, not entertain guests with “non-wine” experiences. Our winery was built with the express intent of making the best wines possible. Although we’re housed in an old industrial winery, where the drain tends to be the highest point in the room, we’ve built our winery to produce exceptional quality hand-crafted wines.

 

We make all our wines on site. From crushing to bottling, the wines never leave our control. We do everything by hand, in small lots, and by a few people. This gives us an intimate understanding of each vineyard, each vintage, and each lot of wine so that we can consistently produce original hand-crafted wines.

 

 

The Vineyard (from the winery)

Mohr-Fry Ranch is farmed by our good friends Jerry and Bruce Fry. The father and son team is responsible for managing the family’s diversified farming operation that includes winegrapes and heirloom beans. The family has been farming in California for over 150 years, and their vineyards are the source of our most popular wine – Mohr-Fry Ranch Old Vine Zinfandel.

 

Their home ranch sits directly south of the city of Lodi, on a beautiful 225 acre ranch comprised of 9 separate blocks of own-rooted Old Vine Zinfandel dating back to 1901. We source grapes from multiple vineyard blocks planted between 1901 and 1945. All of them are head-trained and planted on their own roots in very sandy soils. In our opinion, these vineyards produce some of California’s best Zinfandel wines, consistently ripening beautiful grapes.

 

 

This vineyard was one of the first “certified” vineyards under the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing.  The Lodi Rules takes a comprehensive approach to address the overall health of the vineyard and ecosystem.  The farming standards go beyond just pest management to promote practices that enhance biodiversity, soil and water health, and employee safety.  For more information, please click here.

 

 

 Jerry and Bruce Fry at the Mohr-Fry Wineyard

  

About Lodi

Lodi is just east of San Francisco and has provided grapes for producers all over the world since the 1800’s.  The Lodi area has provided grapes for producers all over the world for decades, and many families in Lodi have been growing grapes for six and seven generations.  Today, there are approximately 85 wineries and tasting rooms, over 750 growers and more than 100,000 acres planted to vineyards.  The wines we tasted commemorate the heritage of Lodi and are not only exquisite, but tell a narrative.

 

It is a well-known fact that Lodi is predominantly a red wine region, proudly holding the self-proclaimed title of “Zinfandel Capital of the World”.  What is lesser known is that Lodi’s unique Mediterranean climate allows for over 75 different varietals to thrive.

 

Tons of great and useful information is available on the Wines of Lodi, LOCA website.  I highly encourage you to read about the area by clicking here.  You can also follow Lodi on Twitter at @Lodi_Wine.

 

 

Lodi Green Program

The Lodi Rules for Sustainable Winegrowing is California’s first 3rd party-certified sustainable winegrowing program.  Originally launched in 2005, over the past two years the program went through and extensive review to update and make standards more rigorous.

 

The Lodi Rules takes a comprehensive approach to farming that goes beyond just pest management to promote practices that enhance biodiversity, water and air quality, soil health, and employee and community well-being.  This allows us to produce higher quality wines more reflective of the places and people that grow them.  It gives you the opportunity to promote responsible farming by enjoying the great wines from these vineyards.

 

When you drink a certified sustainably grown Lodi wine, you are supporting a farmer, a vintner, and a community that embraces its responsibility to take care of the environment.

 

Visit the Lodi Certified Green site for more information on the region’s sustainable winegrowing.

 

 

 

2012 St. Amant Winery Zinfandel Old Vines Mohr-Fry Ranch Vineyard – $19.99

 

(Even though I paid a bit more at the local store, the suggested retail price for the wine is only $18.  It is available to purchase for $18 on the winery’s website by clicking here.

 

This wine is a blend of 100% Zinfandel that comes from two vineyards planted on Mohr-Fry Ranch.  One vineyard was planted in 1901, the other in 1944.  The head-pruned vines are own-rooted and are situated in the sandy soils just southwest of the city of Lodi.  The vines benefit from the distinctive delta breezes that cool the appellation in the late afternoon and early evening creating an ideal climate for high-quality Zinfandel.

 

The grapes were harvested from September 25th through October 2nd.  The grapes were hand sorted and fermented for 7 days at cool temperature with gentle pumpovers.  The wine was aged for 10 months in 60 gallon American oak barrels, with 25% being new.  A total of 3.068 cases were bottled on July 13, 2013.

 

The wine has 14.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a ruby to garnet color.  The enticing nose has brambly berries, warm baking spices, dusty minerals, black pepper, dark bittersweet chocolate, vanilla bean, dried flowers and a touch of subtle earthiness.  This has a fairly full body with soft to moderate tannins and good acidity.  The spicy, brambly berries coat the palate on the front end with dusty minerals, black pepper and dark chocolate coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a nice floral note and subtle earthiness joining the berries and spice.  This is a very easy wine to enjoy now and over the next couple of years.  (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 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!

 

 

2005 Copain Syrah Harrison Clarke

2009 Foncalieu Côtes du Rhône Villages St. Gervais La Réserve du Crouzau

2010 Treasure Hunter Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Panjanatan Paso Robles

2008 Big Basin Vineyards Odeon

2008 Villa Creek Avenger

2007 Vincent Arroyo Petite Sirah

 

 

Due to ongoing unpacking and organizing from our move and the holiday season, most of these wines only have a tasting note without any other text.  These posts should return to normal next week.

 

 

 

2005 Copain Syrah Harrison Clarke – $40.00

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The deep and dark nose has blackberries, olive tapenade, minerals, wood smoke, black pepper, vanilla bean, blueberries and damp earth.  The wine has medium body with fairly resolved tannins and good acidity.  On the palate olives and berries pop out first with black pepper and damp earth coming in on the back end.  The olives and earthy elements linger on the decently long finish.  I’d advise consuming this wine over the next year, maybe two.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Foncalieu Côtes du Rhône Villages St. Gervais La Réserve du Crouzau – $8.95

I bought several bottles of this wine at the local store at a fantastic price.  I’ve held off opening a bottle for six months, but I really want to open one.  These could probably use another 6 months to a year in the cellar, but it’s time to check in and get a read on how long before these hit their stride.

 

Winery history

Les Vignobles Foncalieu are like no other cooperative.  Their technical teams include international talents who revel in this mosaic of huge terroirs.  So it comes as no surprise to learn that Michel Bataille and the 1,200 winegrowing estate owners made the choice to produce upmarket wines.  In order to achieve excellence in terms of quality, they have invested in cutting-edge facilities.

 

IN THE VINES

Very strict vine management specifications: pruning, green harvesting, picking dates, convocation to the vine plot…

GIS (geographic information system) cartography.

Computerized plot monitoring.

High-tech ripeness tracking.

Grape analysis, segmentation and control over the harvest adapted to the product profile with Dyostem©.

 

IN THE WINERY

Creation of a vinification plan for all the vineyards, taking account of client needs and brand profiles.

Precise definition of aromatic profiles.

Full traceability process guaranteeing regularity in the quality of wines.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a dark ruby color.  The outstanding nose has black cherries, blackberries, minerals, dried herbs, charred meat, earthy underbrush, and violets.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  The palate has very nice fruit and dried herbs with some spice and earthy elements in the background.  The finish shows considerable promise until the tannins and acidity kick in clipping it a bit.  Give this one another year in the cellar or give it some air.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Treasure Hunter Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Panjanatan Paso Robles – $19.79

I grabbed several bottles of this wine, since a social media friend, Mark Adams, was the wine maker.  I’m glad I loaded up since the past few bottles have all been very good.  It’s always nice to get a good Cabernet for around $20.  Mark Adams is also the owner/wine maker of Ledge Vineyards and the Assistant Wine Maker for Saxum.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby to maroon color.  The deep and dark nose has blackberries, cassis, cedar, dried herbs, minerals, smoke, licorice, baking spices, and violets.  This has medium to full body with fairly solid, ripe tannins and good acidity.  The wine is rich and velvety on the palate with spicy fruit, dried herbs, and minerals leading the way.  The finish is fairly long with nice spicy fruit, dried herbs, and a touch of earthiness.  A nice, rich, but not over the top Cabernet from Paso Robles.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Big Basin Vineyards Odeon – $40.00

For the last few years I’ve felt Big Basin was one of the wineries to keep an eye on.  I think they are one big score away from popping onto most wine drinker’s radar.  Could they become the next Saxum?  In my opinion, the sky is the limit for this winery.

 

This is a blend of 57% Santa Cruz County Syrah and 43% Monterrey County Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

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

 

Winery history

Big Basin Vineyards was founded in 1998 in the Santa Cruz Mountains next to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, with a new winery building completed in 2003.  Proprietor and wine maker Bradley Brown sources his wines from three Estate Vineyards – Rattlesnake Rock, Old Corral Block and Homestead Block.  All of the Estate vineyards are planted to Alban Selections on steep hillsides with mudstone and shale soils – 7 acres of Syrah, 2 acres of Grenache and 1 acre of Roussanne – and are farmed organically.  Additionally, Bradley works closely with Coastview Vineyard located at 2400 ft on a mountain top in the Gabilan Mountains overlooking the Salinas Valley and Monterey Bay (several miles due south of Mt. Harlan).  He has contracted with the vineyard to purchase Syrah planted in 1998 and to bud over certain sections of the vineyard to Pinot Noir and Grenache (in 2008) and plant a new block to an Alban selection of Syrah.  This vineyard is also farmed organically and managed according to Bradley’s direction.  Beginning in 2006, Big Basin started making Pinot Noir sourced from the Santa Cruz Mountains.  As of 2009, Big Basin is making three different single vineyard Pinots from the Santa Cruz Mountains (Alfaro Family, Lester Family and Woodruff Family Vineyards), plus the Pinot from Coastview Vineyard in the Gabilan Mountains.

 

Much more information is available on their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The stunning nose has cassis, charred meat, vanilla, dark chocolate, minerals, blueberries, and a touch of cedar.  This has a full body, moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate this is very big, rich and plush.  Though it pushes the ripeness to the top, it does not go over.  This is loaded with fruit and savory elements on the palate with a nice tannic backbone and just enough acidity to hold it all together.  The finish is impressively long and decadent.  I don’t think I’d want to stash this in the cellar for too long, but this will offer a lot of pleasure over the next few years.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Villa Creek Avenger – $29.75

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

 

Winery history

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

 

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

 

Much more information is available on their website.

 

My Tasting Note

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

 

 

 

2007 Vincent Arroyo Petite Sirah – $28.80

 

This wine has 13.77% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The nose is full of blackberries, crushed stone minerals, vanilla, fresh ground espresso beans, white pepper and a touch of barnyard.  This has medium to full body with good acidity and moderate to solid tannins.  On the palate blackberries, espresso beans, stony minerals and vanilla grab hold first with white pepper coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with some barnyard entering the picture.  This wine is entering a nice drinking period and can be enjoyed over the next several years.  (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 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 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!

 

 

 

2009 Sandler Wine Company Syrah Connell Vineyard

NV Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé Brut Perle d’Aurore

2008 Treasure Hunter Wines Cabernet Franc Catch 22

2005 Château Margüi Côteaux Varois

2008 Friedrich Wilhelm Ritzman Riesling Qualitätswein

2008 Westerhold Family Vineyards Syrah Westerhold Vineyard

2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Albariño Abrente

2008 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

 

 

Due to ongoing unpacking and organizing from our move and the holiday season, most of these wines only have a tasting note without any other text.  These posts should return to normal in the next couple of weeks.

 

 

 

2009 Sandler Wine Company Syrah Connell Vineyard – $20.00

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby to purple color.  The elegant nose has blackberries, violets, eucalyptus, blueberries, baking spices, crushed stone minerals and dried earth.  This has a medium body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate berries and stony minerals jump out first with spice and white pepper coming in on the back end.  The lingering finish adds a touch of earthiness and eucalyptus.  This is in a very nice drinking window right now but should hold for a couple of years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

NV Louis Bouillot Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé Brut Perle d’Aurore – $18.99

 

This has 12.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright salmon pink color with very persistent pinpoint bubbles.  The enticing nose has cherries, dark berries, yeasty bread, stony minerals and tangerine zest.  This is very effervescent on the palate with bright fruit, minerals and citrus up front with yeasty notes coming in on the back end.  The crisp and clean finish has nice length and leaves your mouth watering for another sip.  A nice sparkler for a festive occasion.

 

 

 

2008 Treasure Hunter Wines Cabernet Franc Catch 22 – $17.81

As I’ve mentioned here every time I open a bottle, generally the Treasure Hunter line of wines represent outstanding value.  Treasure Hunter isn’t really a winery, more of a wine business.  They buy excess grapes/juice/wine and sell it as is or blend different lots to create their wines.  These are generally very good to outstanding wines that sell for prices well below their level or quality.

 

I love the Cabernet Franc grape.  At its best it has nice dark berry fruit with some cherry and dried herbs.  If the grapes are over cropped and picked before fully ripe, the dried herbs become the much less pleasing green herbal elements.

 

Winery history

Treasure Hunter is a label under the 3 Finger Wine Company family of wines.

 

Each Treasure Hunter wine goes through a pain-staking process of examination from our panel of nine called The De-Vine Nine. Made up of top sommeliers, winemakers and restaurateurs, they are the best of the best and they pour through hundreds of wines before they are deemed worthy.

Each wine is a small one-time offering and represents an extraordinary opportunity to drink seminal wines of great importance.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The very interesting and inviting nose has blackberries, dried herbs, licorice, black cherry, baking spices, cigar tobacco, dark chocolate, cedar, and some violets.  This has medium body with fairly solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the wine shows a fair amount of upfront berries and black cherry with dried herbs and spices, slowly a nice hit of dark chocolate creeps in on the backend.  The finish has decent length and leans more toward the dried herbs and dark chocolate with the fruit playing more of a supporting role in the background.  This is a fantastic, young wine for under $20.  I’m going to try and hold off opening another for a few months, but it will be tough.  (92 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)

 

 

 

2008 Friedrich Wilhelm Ritzman Riesling Qualitätswein – $4.75

I grabbed about a case of this wine for under $5 a bottle to use as an afternoon sipper on the deck.  Even though it filled that role perfectly, it is a very enjoyable wine when paired with a light, spicy dish.

 

My Tasting Note

Light golden-yellow color. Apples, petrol, orange zest, and wet stone minerality on the slightly reserved nose. Light bodied with crisp, mouthwatering acidity and just enough sweetness to give nice balance. Rich and tart on the palate. Initially a very short finish but it filled out and got longer with air and warming up a bit. An absolute steal at $5 on close-out.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Westerhold Family Vineyards Syrah Westerhold Vineyard – $42.00

This is a wine I originally tried due to Russell Bevan being the winemaker.  It absolutely blew me away.  I quickly ordered more and put the word out on Twitter.  I suggested to Jeb Dunnuck that he should track down a bottle to try, he then gave it 95+ on his The Rhone Report.  A wine store owner friend from Napa (yes, you Carrie) bought some for the store based on my recommendation, and had to restock since it became very popular.  I’m not sure the status of the winery’s mailing list, but I’d recommend checking to see if it is still open.  The winery now also produces a Pinot Noir.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The spellbinding nose has blackberries, licorice, baking spices, cedar, black pepper, road tar, dried wildflowers, crushed stone minerals and scorched earth.  This has a full body with moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  This has nice tart berries, black pepper, spicy oak and minerals up front with a dried floral note and some scorched earth coming in on the back end.  The has very nice length on the finish until the tannins and acidity kick in.  This is tasty but really could use some additional cellar time to help the finish open up and fill out.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Albariño Abrente – $22.00

Though this wine is offered on the Bedrock mailing list (and listed in Cellar Tracker) as made by Bedrock, the wine is actually the result of a partnership between winemakers Michael Havens (the first person to make Albariño in the New World) and Morgan Twain-Peterson.

 

This has 13.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright and vibrant yellow to light gold color.  The crisp and refreshing nose has apples, lime, lemon zest, orange blossoms, minerals, melon, and a very slight herbal note.  This has light to medium body, crisp acidity, and just a touch of residual sweetness.  The orchard fruit and citrus play off each other very nicely on the palate with a streak of minerals coming in on the back end.  The finish is fairly long with a mouthwatering lime note and minerals slowly fading away leaving you wanting to grab the glass for another sip.  This will really shine on a warm Summer evening over a light meal.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast – $28.00

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

 

This has 13.9% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice ruby red color. The sexy nose has strawberries, raspberries, cola, baking spices, underbrush, minerals, cherries, dried flowers, and a slight herbal note. The wine has medium body with soft tannins and very good acidity. The very complex palate has layers of fruit, spice, and earthy elements that slowly reveal themselves with each sip, with the nice cleansing acidity evident at all times. The finish is fairly long and the mouthwatering acidity is ever present. This is very food friendly and civilized. There is no excess weight or overly extracted notes evident on the wine. This is still on the young side and can be enjoyed over the next several years.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

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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!