From notes taken Febuary, 2006:
Wine of Merit: ***++Cornerstone Cabernet, 1992: A re-do from a corked bottle. As I had suspected, this wine has progressed perfectly. Mountain fruit that has matured and come along very nicely. It will now reward those who stood by it for these 13 years. Heady, sweet and perfumed, perfect black fruit and bramble, velvet, wet slate and chalk, still chewy, a big wine from a soft-ish vintage. Far from finished but drinking great now. Drink this with a nice meal, like a grilled game hen with rosemary and new potatoes and thank Hashem for the little things in life. Well done Bruce!
***+Newton Unfiltered Cabernet, 1991: More fodder for 1991 being the vintage of the 90s in Napa. Deep, if maturing, color to the rim. Wonderfully complex and deftly balanced, almost St. Emillion-like, tertiary aromas of grilled meats, earth, cigar box and velvety red fruit unfold from the glass. Lovely, mature body, thinning just slightly, furry finish. Very sexy wine. If the Galleron is Denueve, then this is Ursula Andress: Less mystery, more body! The time to drink this is now.
**Melville Estate Pinot Noir, 2000: Clone 115, wild yeast fermented from the central coast – like 100 cases made. Deep, very extracted, thick pinot noir (14.5% alcohol). Lush, black cherry, kirshwasser, cream and jammy strawberry preserves. Full palate through to a very firm, almost peppery finish. I am not a huge fan of this style of pinot. It lacks class and finesse, trading those qualities for over-the-top flavors and mouth feel. Others love it (as in “gobs and gobs of hedonistic fruit…”). I am guessing that it, like similarly styled zins and syrahs, will get pruney before it ever knits together to show any elegance. I appreciate the effort and simply choose to disagree with the style.
***Harrison Cabernet Sauvignon, 1993: A horse of a different color! Pritchard Hill fruit. Very nice indeed, particularly with a meal. Classically styled cabernet. Elegant integration front to back. This wine has aged well, showing well knitted notes of blackberry and plum, green tea, minerals and mint. Full mouth-feel with no drop off. Good structure hints that this should hold on for a year or two. Still, the time is now. Eric Brown says, “Delicious”. There you have it.
**+Rodney Strong Cabernet Reserve, Alexander Valley, 1992: A good, solid cabernet. Solid garnet color to the rim. Perfectly resolved, red fruit, minerals, truffles and lavender. Coating entry and full mid palate. Finish is thinning a touch, revealing some of the new oak this has been aged in. Hard to believe this wine has held up as well as it has for 13 years. I think I paid $10 a pop back in the day. And ice cream was a nickel, too! Drink now over the next 12 months.
*+St. Francis Pagani Ranch Zinfandel, 1995: Full throttle zin from the famed Pagani Ranch. High alcohol (15%), unctuous and thick, this wine was a “fruit bomb” on issue. With time, the plum and red fruit has become of the stewed variety and the alcohol has made this more than a little hot on the finish. Oak elements are also of note (chocolate, dill, vanilla) as is some soy. I think this serves as a good case study for those high scoring, high alcohol zins that Robert Parker loves. They are clearly for near term consumption and can be appreciated for their over-the-top styles – but do not confuse them with the best iterations of the varietal (see Nalle, Ridge, Ravenswood or the Rafanelli - the 3 Rs of zin – for beautiful, balanced wines that can age effortlessly). FIN
***Chassuer, Lorenzo vineyard Chardonnay, 2003: The Hunter becomes the hunted! I am a fan of Chassuer wines and have been since before it was cool (Still drinking my 98 Shop Block). Made by Bill Hunter up in Sebastopol, the chards and pinots are serious, well made and unapologetic. Good, pale straw to golden hue with excellent clarity, this young chard shows weight and complexity. The nose is expansive, with buttered popcorn, mission fig and plenty of toast that is well integrated and not dominant. Reminds me of a good Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne. Oily, the palate is full and coating, offering tropical fruit, blood orange and lichee, with cardamom and vanilla cr̬me brulee and a firm, long spicy finish. It is so hard to get the oak thing right - and in this case it is perfectly integrated. While 2002 will undoubtedly earn higher praises for the RRV than 2003, this is a solid effort Рand will improve with a year or two in the bottle. 294 cases made. I bought a bunch and I am glad I did!
***+Newton Unfiltered Cabernet, 1991: More fodder for 1991 being the vintage of the 90s in Napa. Deep, if maturing, color to the rim. Wonderfully complex and deftly balanced, almost St. Emillion-like, tertiary aromas of grilled meats, earth, cigar box and velvety red fruit unfold from the glass. Lovely, mature body, thinning just slightly, furry finish. Very sexy wine. If the Galleron is Denueve, then this is Ursula Andress: Less mystery, more body! The time to drink this is now.
**Melville Estate Pinot Noir, 2000: Clone 115, wild yeast fermented from the central coast – like 100 cases made. Deep, very extracted, thick pinot noir (14.5% alcohol). Lush, black cherry, kirshwasser, cream and jammy strawberry preserves. Full palate through to a very firm, almost peppery finish. I am not a huge fan of this style of pinot. It lacks class and finesse, trading those qualities for over-the-top flavors and mouth feel. Others love it (as in “gobs and gobs of hedonistic fruit…”). I am guessing that it, like similarly styled zins and syrahs, will get pruney before it ever knits together to show any elegance. I appreciate the effort and simply choose to disagree with the style.
***Harrison Cabernet Sauvignon, 1993: A horse of a different color! Pritchard Hill fruit. Very nice indeed, particularly with a meal. Classically styled cabernet. Elegant integration front to back. This wine has aged well, showing well knitted notes of blackberry and plum, green tea, minerals and mint. Full mouth-feel with no drop off. Good structure hints that this should hold on for a year or two. Still, the time is now. Eric Brown says, “Delicious”. There you have it.
**+Rodney Strong Cabernet Reserve, Alexander Valley, 1992: A good, solid cabernet. Solid garnet color to the rim. Perfectly resolved, red fruit, minerals, truffles and lavender. Coating entry and full mid palate. Finish is thinning a touch, revealing some of the new oak this has been aged in. Hard to believe this wine has held up as well as it has for 13 years. I think I paid $10 a pop back in the day. And ice cream was a nickel, too! Drink now over the next 12 months.
*+St. Francis Pagani Ranch Zinfandel, 1995: Full throttle zin from the famed Pagani Ranch. High alcohol (15%), unctuous and thick, this wine was a “fruit bomb” on issue. With time, the plum and red fruit has become of the stewed variety and the alcohol has made this more than a little hot on the finish. Oak elements are also of note (chocolate, dill, vanilla) as is some soy. I think this serves as a good case study for those high scoring, high alcohol zins that Robert Parker loves. They are clearly for near term consumption and can be appreciated for their over-the-top styles – but do not confuse them with the best iterations of the varietal (see Nalle, Ridge, Ravenswood or the Rafanelli - the 3 Rs of zin – for beautiful, balanced wines that can age effortlessly). FIN
***Chassuer, Lorenzo vineyard Chardonnay, 2003: The Hunter becomes the hunted! I am a fan of Chassuer wines and have been since before it was cool (Still drinking my 98 Shop Block). Made by Bill Hunter up in Sebastopol, the chards and pinots are serious, well made and unapologetic. Good, pale straw to golden hue with excellent clarity, this young chard shows weight and complexity. The nose is expansive, with buttered popcorn, mission fig and plenty of toast that is well integrated and not dominant. Reminds me of a good Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne. Oily, the palate is full and coating, offering tropical fruit, blood orange and lichee, with cardamom and vanilla cr̬me brulee and a firm, long spicy finish. It is so hard to get the oak thing right - and in this case it is perfectly integrated. While 2002 will undoubtedly earn higher praises for the RRV than 2003, this is a solid effort Рand will improve with a year or two in the bottle. 294 cases made. I bought a bunch and I am glad I did!
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