From notes taken April, 2006:Wine of Merit: ****++Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001: Wow!!! Reminds me of a great Margaux. I have always been a fan of Eisele vineyard wines and this is the best expression of that vineyard yet. Serious, wonderful, complex. Tobacco, deep red fruit, minerals and grilled meats. Wonderful licorice root. Seamlessly integrated with firm, slightly dusty tannins that are nonetheless sweet. The only detraction at all from this wine is that there is some mild heat on the finish. A serious wine that will benefit from time but is hard to keep away from right now. Wow.
***++The Wishing Tree Shiraz, 2004: I am not an Aussie Shiraz fan. They are over extracted and syrupy. This one is not. It is actually lovely. Inky, deep color. Blackberry and blueberry integrated with flint and white pepper. Firm palate with plenty of vanilla oak. Some mocha. Peppery, spicy finish. Yum. (By the way, found out that this one retails for less than $10 (Wine library has it for $7.49) – making it A STEAL. Buy this wine!)
***+Louis Roderer Champagne, Brut, 1996: Great champagne from a great vintage. Hard to go wrong. Yeasty, baked apple and lemon zest. Nutmeg. Long finish. Great acids. Delicious.
**++Bernard Faurie Hermitage Blanc, 2004: Very nice. A blend of Marsanne and Rousanne. Perhaps lacking a bit of integration, the wood is green and very prominent. Lovely complexity. Floral nose of honeysuckle and apricot. Granny Smith apple pie and cinnamon. More spicy oak on the palate. Bracing acids suggest cellaring, though I worry about the wood.
***Littorai Mays Canyon Chardonnay, 2004: I am a fan of Ted Lemon and appreciate his desire to make Burgundian wines in California. This wine seems more Californian than I would have expected. Lots of candied orange zest, nutmeg and lots of toast oak. Slight bubble gum flavors, powdered sugar and ginger root. Great minerality on the palate. Long finish. Lovely.
And now for something completely different:
***Tablas Creek, Vin de Paille sacrerouge, 2004: Yikes! A 100% mouvedre based, Californian made, amarone styled, dessert wine? Ok…This wine, as the name suggest, is made by picking the grapes and then laying them out on straw mats until the raisin, like Amarone. It has a significant percentage of residual sugar. I am not an Amarone fan – but this is a fun wine to drink with a chocolate dessert. It offers a great nose of figs and dates and dried black cherry. The palate shows roasted red fruit, chocolate and tar, with great concentration. While this is not a wine I would search out, I could easily see how others would, as it is expertly made and surprisingly fresh for what it is.
***+Louis Roderer Champagne, Brut, 1996: Great champagne from a great vintage. Hard to go wrong. Yeasty, baked apple and lemon zest. Nutmeg. Long finish. Great acids. Delicious.
**++Bernard Faurie Hermitage Blanc, 2004: Very nice. A blend of Marsanne and Rousanne. Perhaps lacking a bit of integration, the wood is green and very prominent. Lovely complexity. Floral nose of honeysuckle and apricot. Granny Smith apple pie and cinnamon. More spicy oak on the palate. Bracing acids suggest cellaring, though I worry about the wood.
***Littorai Mays Canyon Chardonnay, 2004: I am a fan of Ted Lemon and appreciate his desire to make Burgundian wines in California. This wine seems more Californian than I would have expected. Lots of candied orange zest, nutmeg and lots of toast oak. Slight bubble gum flavors, powdered sugar and ginger root. Great minerality on the palate. Long finish. Lovely.
And now for something completely different:
***Tablas Creek, Vin de Paille sacrerouge, 2004: Yikes! A 100% mouvedre based, Californian made, amarone styled, dessert wine? Ok…This wine, as the name suggest, is made by picking the grapes and then laying them out on straw mats until the raisin, like Amarone. It has a significant percentage of residual sugar. I am not an Amarone fan – but this is a fun wine to drink with a chocolate dessert. It offers a great nose of figs and dates and dried black cherry. The palate shows roasted red fruit, chocolate and tar, with great concentration. While this is not a wine I would search out, I could easily see how others would, as it is expertly made and surprisingly fresh for what it is.
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