Dinner with Jamey Whetstone:
I had the pleasure of attending a wine dinner that featured Jamey Whetstone’s wines with Jamey himself in attendance. While casual and very warm - his South Carolinian charm in full regalia - it is clear that Jamey 1) is earnest in his endeavor to make great wine and 2) has the chops to pull it off. Having recently tried his latest pinot and having enjoyed the Jocelyn Lonen wines, I was excited to try a broader portfolio. The wines are reviewed not in order of merit but order of consumption during the meal:
**+Manifesto!, California, sauvignon blanc, 2006: Sourced from Suisun fruit, around 10 tons an acre stainless steel fermented. A lot of copy about “Great wine” on the label. I know great wine – and while this is not bad…no one will mistake it for great. Fairly typical, in my opinion. Grapefruit, guava, nice, bracing acidity, good full mouth feel. With so many good, inexpensive SBs out there, I find this nice but not compelling. Wanna try a great SB? Sample a few of Didier Dagueneau’s wines from the Loire. And before someone cries unfair…remember I wasn’t the one to print “Great” on the label.
**+Whetstone, Catie’s Corner Vineyard, Sonoma, viognier, 2006: Here again, not bad at all – though not compelling. I like Catie’s Corner viognier; many Sonoma vintners use it to pump up the flavors and aromatics of their syrah. By itself it displays typical varietal characteristics of hibiscus, vanilla, lavender and slate. Nice minerlaity on the palate and bracing acids. There are few new world viogniers that really matter to me – the Failla viognier from the Alban vineyard and the Kongsgaard roussanne / viognier being two that come to mind. This wine does not break through to that level of quality or wine experience.
After a glass of the ***+Whetstone Pleasant Hill, RRV pinot noir, 2006 (previously reviewed) I had a glass of the ***++Whetstone Bella Vigne Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 2006. This is a lovely, lush, velvety pinot noir, and a great partner to the Pleasant Hill. Where the Pleasant Hill is bright and exuberant, the Bella Vigne exhibits dark, deep, creamy black cherry, thyme, forest floor, church incense and Malabar pepper notes. Reminiscent of the older Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast pinots from the early 90s that I covet. The palate is equally lush and coating, deep, more minerals and red / black fruit. Baking spices. The only small distraction on this wine is a slight bitterness on the long, peppery finish. At $75 a pop – perhaps a bit steep. I have to say, I feel that he has made huge strides since that 2004 Hirsch pinot that I had last year that I found hot and disjointed. Well done Jamey!
A pleasant surprise was the ***Whetstone, Giudici Family Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, syrah, 2005. Meaty, red and black fruit, pain grille, rosemary and Provencal herbs, smoke…a real treat. Perfumed and sexy, still this is much more reminiscent of a Cote Rotie than a Santa Barbara fruit bomb. Seamlessly integrated and balanced. Long, sweet, fine finish. Dynamite! Similar in style and signature to the Phoenix Ranch syrah that Failla makes (and now, at dinner, I find out he was making the wine for Ehren Jordan at Failla up til 2005! I find it strange Ehren wouldn’t make the wine himself), but better.
The last 2 cabernets are not made under the Whetstone label. The first is a **++Temple Family Vineyard, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: Nice enough. From the Coombsville area. Dusty red fruit, cassis, cedar, some cigar tobacco. I found it a bit muted. Nice full palate, more red fruit, balanced throughout, medium, spicy finish. A very nice wine that can be enjoyed in the near to mid term. I admit that my first glass seemed a bit off and thus I may require a re-taste at some point.
The other (and last!) wine was the ***+Jocelyn Lonen, Founder’s Reserve, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: This is a selection of the 4 best barrels of cabernet that Jocelyn makes for the vintage, from the Stagecoach vineyard. Stagecoach cabernet franc, about 14%, is added to the final blend. I am a huge Stagecoach cab franc fan and feel that this adds interesting complexity and texture to this wine. I enjoyed this wine very much, though many would find it heavy handed and perhaps a bit over manufactured with its prevalent New French Oak signature and obvious blending. Still…Deep and floral, velvety red fruit, chocolate licorice, anise, candied violet and cinnamon notes waft from the glass. Wonderful, thick cherry pie, creamy vanilla ice cream and chocolate on the palate – I can’t help but think of a cherry chocolate swirl, served with a red velvet cupcake…yummy. It’s like a Willy Wonka wine…I can’t believe these taste sensations are coming from a glass of fermented grape juice! A great accompaniment to my chocolate desert. Fun and delicious, no excuses necessary…just enjoy!
I had the pleasure of attending a wine dinner that featured Jamey Whetstone’s wines with Jamey himself in attendance. While casual and very warm - his South Carolinian charm in full regalia - it is clear that Jamey 1) is earnest in his endeavor to make great wine and 2) has the chops to pull it off. Having recently tried his latest pinot and having enjoyed the Jocelyn Lonen wines, I was excited to try a broader portfolio. The wines are reviewed not in order of merit but order of consumption during the meal:
**+Manifesto!, California, sauvignon blanc, 2006: Sourced from Suisun fruit, around 10 tons an acre stainless steel fermented. A lot of copy about “Great wine” on the label. I know great wine – and while this is not bad…no one will mistake it for great. Fairly typical, in my opinion. Grapefruit, guava, nice, bracing acidity, good full mouth feel. With so many good, inexpensive SBs out there, I find this nice but not compelling. Wanna try a great SB? Sample a few of Didier Dagueneau’s wines from the Loire. And before someone cries unfair…remember I wasn’t the one to print “Great” on the label.
**+Whetstone, Catie’s Corner Vineyard, Sonoma, viognier, 2006: Here again, not bad at all – though not compelling. I like Catie’s Corner viognier; many Sonoma vintners use it to pump up the flavors and aromatics of their syrah. By itself it displays typical varietal characteristics of hibiscus, vanilla, lavender and slate. Nice minerlaity on the palate and bracing acids. There are few new world viogniers that really matter to me – the Failla viognier from the Alban vineyard and the Kongsgaard roussanne / viognier being two that come to mind. This wine does not break through to that level of quality or wine experience.
After a glass of the ***+Whetstone Pleasant Hill, RRV pinot noir, 2006 (previously reviewed) I had a glass of the ***++Whetstone Bella Vigne Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, pinot noir, 2006. This is a lovely, lush, velvety pinot noir, and a great partner to the Pleasant Hill. Where the Pleasant Hill is bright and exuberant, the Bella Vigne exhibits dark, deep, creamy black cherry, thyme, forest floor, church incense and Malabar pepper notes. Reminiscent of the older Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast pinots from the early 90s that I covet. The palate is equally lush and coating, deep, more minerals and red / black fruit. Baking spices. The only small distraction on this wine is a slight bitterness on the long, peppery finish. At $75 a pop – perhaps a bit steep. I have to say, I feel that he has made huge strides since that 2004 Hirsch pinot that I had last year that I found hot and disjointed. Well done Jamey!
A pleasant surprise was the ***Whetstone, Giudici Family Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, syrah, 2005. Meaty, red and black fruit, pain grille, rosemary and Provencal herbs, smoke…a real treat. Perfumed and sexy, still this is much more reminiscent of a Cote Rotie than a Santa Barbara fruit bomb. Seamlessly integrated and balanced. Long, sweet, fine finish. Dynamite! Similar in style and signature to the Phoenix Ranch syrah that Failla makes (and now, at dinner, I find out he was making the wine for Ehren Jordan at Failla up til 2005! I find it strange Ehren wouldn’t make the wine himself), but better.
The last 2 cabernets are not made under the Whetstone label. The first is a **++Temple Family Vineyard, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: Nice enough. From the Coombsville area. Dusty red fruit, cassis, cedar, some cigar tobacco. I found it a bit muted. Nice full palate, more red fruit, balanced throughout, medium, spicy finish. A very nice wine that can be enjoyed in the near to mid term. I admit that my first glass seemed a bit off and thus I may require a re-taste at some point.
The other (and last!) wine was the ***+Jocelyn Lonen, Founder’s Reserve, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: This is a selection of the 4 best barrels of cabernet that Jocelyn makes for the vintage, from the Stagecoach vineyard. Stagecoach cabernet franc, about 14%, is added to the final blend. I am a huge Stagecoach cab franc fan and feel that this adds interesting complexity and texture to this wine. I enjoyed this wine very much, though many would find it heavy handed and perhaps a bit over manufactured with its prevalent New French Oak signature and obvious blending. Still…Deep and floral, velvety red fruit, chocolate licorice, anise, candied violet and cinnamon notes waft from the glass. Wonderful, thick cherry pie, creamy vanilla ice cream and chocolate on the palate – I can’t help but think of a cherry chocolate swirl, served with a red velvet cupcake…yummy. It’s like a Willy Wonka wine…I can’t believe these taste sensations are coming from a glass of fermented grape juice! A great accompaniment to my chocolate desert. Fun and delicious, no excuses necessary…just enjoy!
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