Wine Musings Is Turning 40!

Wine of Merit: ***+Chasseur, Van der Kamp vineyard, pinot noir, 1999: Ahhhh…finally. I have been hit and miss with Bill Hunter’s wines of late and worried that they really did not age well at all (they are so wonderful young). This is the exception. Van der Kamp vineyard makes great pinot noir (Siduri and Flowers come to mind) and this is a perfect expression of what it can offer. Wonderful, tea rose, black cherry, cassis and nutmeg aromas present themselves with a little coaxing. Green tea, more cherry fruit and minerals on the palate. Great structure and wonderful integration. A stately wine, with everything in the right place. Fine, furry tannins and a spice box finish. Essential pinot.

***+Keever Vineyards, Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon, 2004: Much has been made of this new winery's offerings of late – yet another new winery from retiring boomers who are now living their Napa Valley dreams. It is an Atlas Peak cab made by Celia Masyczek, she of Staglin and Scarecrow fame. So I broke down and grabbed a few bottles. Well, the hype is for the most part warranted. This is an extremely well made wine. Still very brawny and intense, the wine shows off great aromatics – scorched earth, violets, bittersweet chocolate and blue fruits. The palate is deep and mineral laden, with more chocolate and stone fruit. The finish is powerful but well integrated into the wine, not detracting from overall balance at all – and that no small feat given the wines 15%+ alcohol levels. This wine reminds me of a very well made Paulliac – maybe it is the Pontet Canet of Atlas Peak?! A wine (and AVA) to watch – Kongsgaard also makes cab here, as does Jocelyn Lonen.

**++Dutton Goldfield, Rued Vineyard, chardonnay, 2003: I am a big fan of Dan Goldfield. He is an aging hippie from Philly who loves the lifestyle that Sonoma affords him – and it shows in his wines. The Rued vineyard makes lovely chardonnay that typically exhibits bright, yellow peach, white floral elements and jazzy, tropical nuances. The body of the wine is tight and well-toned, offering complementary zest and ginger elements through a nice, long finish. A very nice, quaffable white.

**++Cline, Big Break vineyard, zinfandel, 1994: I keep these wines around to prove the point that zinfandel can age. Sure, not the 16% alcohol fruit bombs – they start pruney and get angrier as the years pass. But well crafted, balanced, lower alch versions achieve a lushness, maturity and complexity of fruit that makes these worth waiting for. Such is the case with the Cline Big Break. Mature plum and cherry notes, tar and violets whaft from the glass. Coating mouth feel with Rhone like elements of brier, smoke and bacon fat. Sweet, fine tannins on the finish. Lovely.

Rappsody, ToKalon / Dr. Crane vineyard, cabernet sauvignon, 2005: I review this wine mostly to talk about where it was made (Crushpad Wines) more than the wine itself – as only 25 cases were made and it is not for sale –and thus the notes are of little value (I will not rate the wine). This wine is something that a group of friends and I made at the hyper customized wine making experience that Crushpad offers (http://www.crushpadwines.com/). It was part of their “Cult Cabernet” program - the vineyard we selected our fruit from produces wines from Schrader and Harlan and Realm (all $125- $250 a bottle) amongst others. Further, the attention to wine making approximates those wineries best practices…thus the product should be similar. And to cap it off, you get to participate as much or as little as you want in the wine making process. What could be better?

Well, to paraphrase the great, late Lloyd Benson: “I know cult cabernets. I have cellared cult cabernets. You sir are no cult cabernet!” In all fairness, those wines are truly spectacular, often mind boggling wines...the best of the best. Our "baby cult" is absolutely a delicious bottle of wine – and well worth the $35 a bottle we invested at the time. Jammy blackberry and nuances of red fruit, balanced with forest floor and pine needles make this a wine a definite crowd pleaser. The body is still all baby fat, though if one concentrates you will get that yummy, chalky Oakville soil and chocolate mint along with nuance of picholine olive. Finish is starting to firm up and make more of a statement. It will be fun to check into this wine as it ages and develops as right now it is still very primal. When I receive my Harlan, Schrader and Realm allotments I will have a blind tasting with our cult-ish Rappsody and see where things shake out. I can’t wait! As for Crushpad – I would not hesitate to recommend the experience…revel in making your own high quality wine with your own label…and expect to get what you pay for times 2 (or more)!

Wine Musings Vol#20

From notes taken June, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ****Neiman, Caldwell vineyard cabernet, 2002: Wow. This is really a lovely wine. A recommendation from the folks at Amanti Vino. Deep, deep, deep. Very expressive right out of the bottle, it offers valrhona chocolate, blackberry preserves, truffle and lavender. Minerals, graphite and black fruit on the palate suggests mountain growing. Isn’t Caldwell in Carneros? I am going to guess that this wine has as much merlot and/or cab franc as cabernet sauvignon – a “Bordeaux” blend that will in no way be mistaken for Bordeaux, given the fruit driven style. Lush, but in no way fat or flabby. I am guessing this wine will age gracefully, adding complexity and nuance, given its excellent balance and structure. I believe this is a Skurnik wine and not produced in large quantities – but it is definitely worth searching out and acquiring. The most difficult thing for me will be keeping my hands off of it to let it develop fully. Righteous!

****Galleron, cabernet sauvignon, 1994: I have commented previously on this wine. Drinking it next to the Neiman, it is stoic instead of sexy. Amazing that it continues to do so well. This time, the wine shows most of the already noted red/black fruit, sage and briar but also a bright, menthol note, as the mint really comes to the front. Not quite as seamless as last tasted, the finish is pronounced, exposing a slight thinning in the mid palate. Still explosive and worth opening at a special occasion.

***+Daniel, Bordeaux Blend, 1984: Before there was Napanook, there was Daniel – the second wine of Dominus. I believe this was one of Christian’s first vintages. Honestly, I had given up on this wine years ago, having found it, at the time (maybe 7 years ago) falling apart. Just goes to show you. This wine is fabulous. Very much in your face Bordeaux styled wine, showing old school Gruaud Larose like barnyard, mushroom, minerally black fruit and a touch of bell pepper. If I were to quibble, the mid palate is a bit thin (though it too offers big black fruit, minerals and Malabar pepper) and the finish is still searingly tannic, suggesting a lack of balance that I prize in all great wines. Still, it is formidable for what it is – a mature, well made cab based wine of great provenance (and a second label at that). After less than 30 minutes the wine begins to fall apart, showing mostly sweet, floral notes and mature red fruit. If you happen to have a bottle, drink it with a nice steak and consider yourself lucky. Well done!

***Bedford Road, Malborough, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 2005: Bright and sassy. Still showing a sprtiz of Co2, this wine offers grassy tropical fruits, melon, beach nut and a touch of herbs. Bracing acids and a consistent mouth feel through to the finish. A crowd pleaser and lovely drink on a hot day – Amy LOVES it. Still not as good as the Kim Crawford Sauv Blanc that is my all time favorite QPR (you can get it for $10 a pop at PJs).

**Cline Bridgehead, zinfandel, 1994: A fossil. In an attempt to rid my cellar of old zin, I cracked this. Though it got a big number form RP back in the day, I found it stalky, weedy and unpleasant at release (those were the days when I bought a wine because RP said so. Thank goodness those days are over). Now it is just an angry, old wine – hot and acidic with some stewed red fruit, black pepper and chocolate. With air the heat kinda goes away making it at least drinkable. Good thing Amy cooks with wine.

Wine Musings Vol#13

From notes taken March, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ***Bisou, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2001: Your kiss is on my lips (that’s right! Hall & Oats!) Perfect for Valentine’s Day! This is a new cabernet from Napa Valley. Bisou (which means “kiss” in French) is farmed out of 3 estate vineyards in St. Helena by James Johnson vineyards. The individual vineyards are named for the families’ children. To the wine itself: Wow! It is nothing short of explosive right from the bottle. Aromas of red fruit, truffle, dark chocolate, olive candy, rosemary, sage and grilled peaches just jump from the glass. Huge! While the bottle suggests cabernet sauvignon, the nose suggests something softer and more complex (cab franc?). Viader like. Spectacular. The palate, on the other hand, doesn’t quite match up. More berry fruit and plum, minerals and mocha, it thins more than a bit on the mid palate. Finish is lovely and integrated. It is nothing short of a great drink in the short term, but I worry about laying it down in the longer term. Perhaps the vines themselves need a bit more aging? One to watch. Delicious.

**++Ridge Dusi Ranch Zinfandel ATP, 1995: The Ridge ATP (Advanced Tasting Program) used to be a cool thing. But it ended up being a bit of “The Island of the Misfit Toys” as Paul Draper experimented with new varietals and new vineyards, so I dropped out. This wine is one of the success stories. The Dusi ranch is down in Paso Robles, near St. Louis Obispo. In 1995, they tried to pull off a late picked, 40 brix zin and realized half way through it wasn’t going to work. So they picked it at 26 brix and assumed it would be a berry driven, forward early drinker. As it turns out, this wine has aged gracefully. Boysenberry and cranberry fruit, cedar, creamy chai and church incense are offered up in lovely integration from this 10 year old zin. The palate has no drop off, continuing with the red fruit theme, with white pepper and rosehip. Finish is firm but not pronounced with more spice and vanilla. I am guessing American oak here. Not a wine that is out there for sale, so buying more is a moot point. Lovely and elegant. Amy likes it very much, so it is a winner.

**++A. Rafanelli Cabernet Sauvignon, 1994: I don’t cellar many Sonoma cabernets. The best ones, however, have a St. Julien like quality that I dig. Tonight, this particular cab is drinking well. Elegant, red and black berry aromas, picholine olives, sage and rose petal belie the Dry Creek provenance. The palate shows more mature berry and stone fruit with oaky, espresso bean and vanilla notes. It is for the most part resolved, though very even and not thinning. Again, a very elegant glass of wine, great with food. I look forward to tasting their 2004 from barrel next week!

**+Dashe Cellars Zinfandel, 1997: I like Mike Dashe. I met him many years ago while he was at Ridge helping to make the zins there. He is passionate about making small batch, handcrafted wines. AND his label has a monkey riding a whale like fish on it. I want to party with him! This wine, the 1997, represents his second vintage with the new label – by 1998 he was out of Ridge and doing his own thing as his day job. I believe he sources his fruit mostly from the RRV / Dry Creek and it shows. Bright, raspberry, red fruit and bramble, this wine also offers black pepper on the nose. The palate is a bit racy, showing more fruit, asian spice, minerals and a some greenness from the oak it sat in. The finish is a touch hot, with lavender, green tea notes and firm tannins. A good effort. It clearly has aspirations of being Nalle-like, if a bit more full blown, and I love Dry Creek zins.