Wine Musings LTD: Polaner Selections Tasting

First, I did not taste the majority of the wines. As I was not there to buy a portfolio, I could cherry pick…and cherry pick I did. I will tell you this: pricing for good wine is getting ridiculous. The wines I truly cared for where often north of $100. I don’t understand it. I will be spending more money with crush pad and much less with delicious but unproven wineries like Revana, Bucella, Amuse Bouche, Merus, Realm and the like which come out with first vintage wines at $100+. It is not appropriate. That said…

I did try the 2004 Merus, and found it wonderful. Great depth, extraction and grip. Mmmm. Black fruit and minerals, fairly open knit and generous (a signature of the vintage). Yummy now and I am guessing yummy for the next 8-10 years. Not sure it will get better, but it will probably mellow and become more nuanced. Given that this is a wine made in someone’s garage out in Napa valley, it should be congratulated.

Similar are my impressions of Realm. They offered a barrel sample of the 2005 wines, which will bottle this spring. The ToKalon, Dr. Crane and Farella vineyards. The former two are spectacular. Really special. Wines to look out for. Kudos.

I also had the pleasure of tasting the 2004 Phillip Togni. Again, wonderfully, open, jammy but still intense and deep. Reminds me of the 1994 vintage. Yum.

I have to say, Larkmead is making lovely wines, albeit Merlot. I liked there 2002 wines and loved the 2004 Firebelle Merlot. Really great. Deep, red and black fruit, mocha, violets. Maybe lavender. Delish!

A new wine, made by Thomas Brown. 2004 Maybach cabernet – from the family that made the car back in the Father Land. Made from a vineyard on the Turnbull property. This wine is wonderful as well – and given the low production, a wine you will not see unless you order it direct from the winery. I would if I were you – or me! I cannot think of a Thomas Brown wine I do not like.

Similar comments about the Driknward Peschon cabernet from 2004. Supple, ripe, deep, excellent depth. Furry tannins. Yes!

Lastly, the wines from Black Sears, long known for the Howell mountain fruit, rock. The 2004 zin was stately – reminding me of the old Storybook zins I used to faun over. Bramble, balck mountain fruit, great balance, nicely integrated oak. The 2003 cab was also surprisingly good, very Dunn like – deep, purple, blueberry and blackberry – maybe snozberry (!). Nice…

Other US wines that merit special mention are the Brookman 2004 cab, the Ojai white hawk syrah, the Pax alder spring syrah, Arnot Roberts Alder Springs and the Copain Eaglepoint ranch syrah (this whole cluster fermentation thing has to stop – the wines are all getting pretty much made in a cookie cutter way), the 2004 Wolf family cab . All of these wines merit buying and drinking.

What else stood out for me? The CNdP 2005 wines rock. The Dom. De la Janasse wines were deep, flavorful and much more interesting than most of the US wines, especially the VV. The 2004 Artadi rioja pagos viejos ruled the roost. Very, very special. Deep plum, saddle leather, garrigue, mint. Nice. I tried some older wines from Lopez de Heredia. They tasted…old. The pinot noir from Ch. De La Tour from 2005 was a true pinot noir vin de garde. The Clos de Vougeot VV was Righteous.

Wine Musings Vol#16

From notes taken May, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ****+Gaja Sperss Barolo, 1995: Mesmerizing. Wonderful depth and complexity. Aromas of black olive, provencal herbs, flint, grilled meats and deep, dark berry fruit. Smoke. The wine coats the palate, offering blackberry, rosemary and minerals. Hints of spearmint. The finish pretty much never ends, though it is nicely integrated with the mid palate. Monumental.

****Feudi di San Gregorio, Serpico, 2001: Inky. This wine is a youthful giant. The fruit almost seems chunky and raw. Mocha, violets and leather accompany the jammy, preserve like strawberry and blueberry fruit. Palate is thick and tannins are still overpowering. It clearly has all of the elements to be a star, it simply lacks the grace and coordination, though I am certain time will bring it all together. Patience required.

***+ Ridge Lytton Estate 1994: This is a selection of barrels from the hillside vineyards surrounding the Lytton Springs Winery in Dry Creek for the ATP program. It is a field blend of mostly zinfandel, with petite syrah and grenache mixed in. Maturing red/plum color. A wonderful nose of bramble, roasted plum, rosemary and coffee bean. The palate is youthful, revealing more fruit, white pepper, minerals and mocha. The tannins have been tamed somewhat though still pronounced through the finish. Surprisingly young. Nice!

**++Aia Cabernet, 2001: From Miner family winery. SLD cabernet with bright red fruit, saddle leather, cedar and grilled meats. Surprisingly soft on the palate, velvety with a fruit forward personality. Very nice, if a bit obvious.

****Wolf Family Vineyard Cabernet, 2002: Wow. This is a very sophisticated wine. The Wolf family took over the Inglewood vineyards awhile back and has been producing small lots of cabernet since the late 90s, I think. Karen Culler – who makes killer wines for Ladera and and her own label - makes their wine. This wine is sublime. Perfectly balanced and offering intense depth and great richness, the nose is tobacco, red fruit, cigar box and licorice. Approachable now though it is still showing baby fat, it will benefit from age and only get more interesting.

****+Kalin Semillion, Livermore Valley 1996: So good it scares me! I can count on one hand the successful semillions from the new world. OK – one finger. This wine sings. The clear glass bottle shows off the wonderful golden hue. The nose is crazy intense – vanilla / almond crème brulee, candied orange zest, apricot, honeysuckle and asian spice. Amazingly rich and oily. Great attack and intensity through the mid palate. Long. Tobacco and honey. Wow, a really yummy wine. At $30 a pop, this is a true steal.