Wine Musings Vol#97

Wine of Merit: ***+Les Pagodes de Cos, St. Estephe, Bordeaux, 2000: A lovely surprise from Cos D'Estournel's second label. While 2000 has earned the reputation for some hard-as-nails wines, this is not one of them. Rich, sweet blackberry, licorice, cedar and tobacco. A hint of minerals. The palate is full, textured, fruitful and not hard edged anywhere. Lovely integration front to back, to a medium long finish with fine tannins. A pleasure.

***+ Conn Valley Vineyards, Right Bank, Napa, meritage, 2007: Another incredibly pleasing wine. A merlot/cab blend. Similar notes, with the addition of youthful exuberance. Ripe, juicy, black cherry and berry fruit. A touch of vanilla pipe tobacco. A hint of nicoise olive. Lots of baby fat. Balanced nicely hinting at aging potential and the development of tertiary complexity. Yummy right now!

***+Eric Texier, Cote Rotie, Vielles Vignes, syrah, 2005: I admit right upfront that I am a huge Texier fan. His wines sacrifice goofy extraction and ripeness for balance, integration and nuance. This wine is no exception. Inviting in almost a polite way, it offers beautifully delineated syrah aromatics of blueberry compote, wildflowers and carbonara (well cooked pancetta, pepper, a touch of something richer and creamier). The palate has pinot like flow and the finish is elegant and focused. Clearly a wine that will age well as I muddle through earlier vintages. Just wonderful. Bravo.

***Kosta Browne, Koplen vineyard, Russian River Valley, pinot noir, 2006: From the sublime...Actually, while there is no mistaking these pinot noirs for Burgundy, they offer lots of pleasure in their own way. Thick black cherry and vanilla ice cream notes, here with a note of raspberry and a nuance of something not quite as sweet, perhaps Mariage Freres Marco Polo tea. The palate is thankfully not quite as blousy, with a nice core of cherry fruit but also some malabar pepper, cola and fine tannin to the finish. This wine is better than the RRV and can probably stand another year in the cellar, though it is meant for drinking in the nearer term. Nice.

***Chateau Fuisse, Puilly Fuisse, Les Combettes, Burgundy, 2006: The theme continues to be rich wines. Initial notes of struck match from liberal use of sulphur. Then, with aeration, spicy preserved lemons, Asian pears, grilled fennel and lily of the valley. Bright and racy on the palate. Good acids with minerals and a slightly more candied citrus element. Fine, focused, spicy finish. Delicious.

Wine Musings Vol#96

Wine of Merit: *****Chateau Pichon Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, Paulliac, 1995: Just a wonderful wine. Nuanced nose of plum, sage, baker's chocolate, pipe tobacco. Hint of menthol. Completely integrated. Wonderful balance. Sumptuous mouthfeel, lingering finish. This wine has been described as seductive and I completely agree. A wine I was thinking about the next day. Great.

****Larkmead, LMV Salon, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2007: Another lovely wine...and in fact a good, modern day interpretation of the 95 Pichon Lalande made in the USA. More vanilla, hazelnut in the upfront, this is a wine that unravels nuance upon nuance as it opens up evolves in the glass. Sweet black and red fruits, spiced cherry pipe tobacco, black licorice, molten chocolate. Firm structure and deep concentration suggest that this will benefit from ample cellaring, though it is hard to fault the heady, youthful exuberance. Not quite the sophisticated grande damme that the Pichon Lalande represents, but clearly a family resemblance!

***+Galardi, Terra di Lavoro, Roccamonfina, aglianico, 2004: I think I might have hit this wine at a difficult time in its evolution. It presents with super interesting notes of black raspberry preserves, graphite, licorice root, smokey tar. Mid palate does seem however a bit muted. Big finish. It is very plausible that the mid palate will expand and that the disjointed nature of the wine will abet and that the wine will synch up. A great, very artisanal iteration of a wine from the "Land of Work". I will bury remaining bottles.

***+Phillips Hill, Oppenlander vineyard, Anderson Valley, pinot noir, 2006: Refreshingly honest, high quality cool climate pinot. A delicious, queen anne cherry and rose hip base, from which emanate nuances of oolong tea, cinnamon stick and earth notes. Blood orange zest. An undercurrent of soft tannins front to back, bright acids, more red fruit and spice. Very nice purity and focus. Lovely.

***Edmunds Saint John, Heart of Gold, El Dorado County, 2008: Like an early summer breeze. A vermentino, white grenchae blend, the wine is sunny, fresh and juicy. Redolent of freshly sliced, white Jersey peaches. A touch of grilled fennel, almond and white flowers. Bright acids. A great summer sipper and wonderful QPR at $20.

***Ridge, Geyserville, Sonoma County, 1993: A field blend of zinfandel, petite syrah, carignane, alicante and mataro (mouvedre). Surprisingly fresh for its age. Brambly, peppery, mature red plum. Tobacco leaf and leather. Full, coating mouthfeel and a satisfying, long spicy, peppery finish. No real hurry to drink. A testament to this wine's longevity and structure.

Wine Musings Vol#95

Wine of Merit: **** Cliff Lede Vineyards, Poetry, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2006: This is a magnificent wine. Very much a vin de garde. Chiseled features, this wine has profound depth, focus, concentration and structure. Muscular. Never, however, angular or out of balance or brutish in any way. Black fruit, chalky minerals, lead pencil, a hint of something more nuanced like raw tobacco leaf. One to put away with confidence. Intense.

****Ben Glaetzer, Amon-Ra, Shiraz, Barossa Valley, 2005: Equally worthy is the Amon Ra from Ben Glaetzer. A majestic wine. Deep, concentrated, deftly balanced. Blue and black fruit, an undertone of grilled meat that becomes more pronounced with air, bramble, a huge whiff of exotic, tagine spices...this wine has it all. Powerful but never lacking grace. Long, firm, graceful finish. A wonder.

***++Donnhoff, Niederhauser Hermannshohle, Nahe, Riesling Auslese, 2002: I have tracked this wine over time and it has never been better than right now. Orange blossom and oleander, petrol, dried apricot, minerals. Rich and textured, oily but not heavy in anyway. Lovely balance. Minerals and spice on the lingering finish. Delicious.

***+ Jean Claude Boisset, 1er Cru “Les Chaponnières”, Pommard, 2005: A suave Pommard made in a very natural style. Deep red fruit, pronounced chocolate covered apricot slices (I love those), mulling spice a great mineral backbone. Silky smooth palate feel with a firm structure front to back. 13% abv and the structure bode well for longer term cellaring, but hard to resist right now. I should have bought more!

***+W.S. Keyes, Howell Mountain, merlot, 2006: This was a wine that evolved significantly in the glass. Initially all about milk chocolate and caramel, it took on weight and nuance with air. Deep plum, crushed violet, grilled meat. A forest floor element. Velvety, generous mouthfeel. Long finish. From what was the Liparita vineyards. Lovely.

***+Eric Texier, Brezeme, Domaine Pergault, Villes Vignes, Cotes de Rhone, 2005: A 5 year old CdR just hitting its stride. Welcome to the world of Eric Texier. 100% Syrah, this wine is signing right now. Gorgeous, perfumed red currant, black berry fruited tisane, brier, violet, a real melange. The palate slides and glides, adding minerals and nice structure through to the fine finish. Someone suggested this is a baby Hermitage and I would agree.

***Le Clos Jordanne, Niagara, Ontario, chardonnay, 2006: Beauty, eh? (Sorry couldn't resist). Actually, this wine is a beauty. Clean, bright lemon/grapefruit notes, white pear, flinty mineral, an added element of grilled fennel on the palate, excellent acids and verve, a long, spicy finish. By pure serendipity this wine is owned and made by the Boisset family above mentioned. An excellent effort. A classy chardonnay from the great white north.

Wine Musings Vol#94

Had the pleasure of spending the day visiting Sojourn Cellars, Audelssa Vineyards and Pott Wines while on a one day scamper up to the sonoma/napa valleys.

Our first stop was Sojourn Cellars and a visit with Craig Haserot. It is clear that Craig is passionate about wine and wine making and his product reflects his choice to make his avocation into his vocation. I found the current pinots and cabernets delicious. They offer a nice balance between some of the leaner, "more natural", lower abv wines being produced out there and the more full throttle, cherry vanilla milkshake, high abv, high extract versions. It seems like a very conscious effort to find the middle ground. I guess if I had to use one word to describe Sojourn Cellars I would use the word polished. Enticing to soaring aromatics, welcoming mouth feel gliding to a long, fine finish these are delicious wines that will appeal to wine geeks and casual wine drinkers alike.

Craig kindly poured his whole line up:

***Sojourn Cellars, Sonoma County, pinot noir, 2008: Ripe, though not overly so, with lovely sonoma nuances of cherry cola and mulling spices. Palate coating and generous with a long, spicy finish. Gorgeous.

***+Sojourn Cellars, Rogers Creek vineyard, pinot noir, 2008: Perhaps the most interesting of the pinots. Nuanced, green elements, earthy truffle and a slightly more pronounced tannic profile. May benefit from some laying down. Delicious.

***Sojourn Cellars, Gaps Crown vineyard, pinot noir, 2008: Racy and fun. Red fruits, currants, malabar pepper. Maybe sorting itself out still a touch, but very promising and undoubtedly a good food wine.

***++Sojourn Cellars, Sangiacomo vineyard, pinot noir, 2008: The pride of the litter. Full, creamy but still deep and showing good concentration, this wine seems the most complete to me. Very worthy.

***+Sojourn Cellars, Mountain Terraces, cabernet sauvignon, 2006: Mountain Fruit from Sonoma. The best sonoma cabs are from the mountains and this one show many of those most desired qualities. Nicoise olive, earth, red fruit, bramble. Full and coating. Long, fine finish. Great.

***Sojourn Cellars, Sonoma Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2006: A great buy at $39. Delicious, forward, oak, chocolate, a touch of bell pepper, plum, pipe tobacco. Full and coating. Yum!

Toward the end of the tasting Craig was kind enough to bring out two yet to be released samples: The first was the 2007 Sojourn Cellars Spring Mountain cabernet (***+). I found it surprisingly supple and integrated (but still showing that deep mountain fruit concentration) for a wine from a growing area that I most often associate with big, tannic, monster cabs. Another taster suggested to Craig that he had "tamed the monster" on this one and I have to agree. An excellent effort. The other wine was the 2008 Sojourn Cellars George III cabernet (***++). A cut above. Deeper, more interesting and nuanced, it is showing its pedigree even in these early, primary stages. A wine to watch out for. I was very impressed with these and all of the Sojourn Cellars wines.

Lunch at the EDK (truffled fries!) and then...

Off to Audelssa Vineyards , which was a new winery for me. The views from the top of Mt. Veeder are breathtaking and the folks there could not be nicer or more passionate about their estate grown wines. Of special note were the 2006 Summit cabernet blend*** and the 2006/2007 reserves***+. I believe the Sojourn Cellars Mountain Terraces is from this very same vineyard (of course they share winemakers so it would make sense). Mountain grown, black cherry and mocha driven wines with nice complementary notes of earth and smoke. Firm and full on the palate with a pronounced and very enjoyable mineral presence and very firm, tannic finish. My impression is that the reserves are made with 100% estate merlot/cab franc fruit while the Summit blend is an estate/alder springs Bordeaux blend. In many ways this estate reminds me of Jocelyn Lonen - the views, the nice people the fruited wines...lovely! Audelssa sells two crowd pleaser wines, the Zephyr GSM*** (does this also get a bit of co-fermented estate viognier? The aromatics are certainly pumped up)and theTephra**++ (a kitchen sink mix including zinfandel, syrah, cab, merlot and maybe others). Both of these less expensive wines were approachable, yummy and eminently drinkable. A strong line up. Thank you for the visit. A picture from the vineyard with the clouds parting is my new computer wallpaper. Breathtaking.

Wines of Merit: Lastly we made the hike to visit with Aaron Pott. Aaron was kind enough to share 4 of his cuvees with us, as well as a bottle of the 2007 Seven Stones, which I had tried from barrel in October. It is hard to know where to start with Aaron's wines. I find them magical. If the word of the day for Sojourn is polished, the word for Pott Wines is complete. To my palate they lack nothing. Each wine is individual, interesting, deep, complex and fulfilling in its own way. I will briefly mention that his 2007 Pantagruel**** cab franc had wonderful, Chinon like complexities that I have personally never found in a new world cab franc, though I have had quite a few (Favia, Detert, Viader, Verite, etc...). I thought it exquisite, as I found all of his wines. Amazing also were the White Cottage cab St. Ralph the Liar****, deep, concentrated HM cab bursting with fruit (I happen to love Dennis John's version as well), Kalihomanok**** from Spring Mtn (where the monster was not tamed but befriended) and the beguiling, black-as-night, Oakville grown Neruda****. Quite the tour de force.

The 2007 Seven Stones (****++) was, as it was out of barrel, otherworldly. Among the best Napa cabs I have had from any vintage - it reminded me very much of the 1994 Harlan cabs that I drank way too young. I realize that some recent comments made by the owner have made this wine controversial, but I will continue to buy all they will sell me at the asking price and consider myself lucky. A great effort.Once again, thanks to all for the visit and the hospitality. A real treat.

Wine Musings Vol#93

Wine of Merit: ****Araujo, Eisele vineyard, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: I am often puzzled by why Araujo does not garner as much praise as many of the other “cult” cabernets from Napa. Maybe it’s the clear choice of elegance and refinement over raw extraction? In any case, it is clearly deserving of high praise. This 2004 is testament. Alluring, sophisticated notes of plum pudding, cured tobacco, cedar and dried fig. Excellent concentration and perfect balance from nose through to back of palate. On the palate minerals, chocolate and mint are added to the plum notes and glide front to back. Fine, resolving finish. Delicious. A great wine experience.

***++Ceritas, Porter Bass vineyard, Russian River Valley, chardonnay, 2007: This is the third vintage made under this label by the owners of the Porter Bass vineyard. A wonderful wine. Medium weight and at first shy, this wine opened up with a bit of aeration to reveal lemon zest and kafir lime notes, accompanied by orange blossom, grapefruit, wet slate and a mélange of exotic spices. Sturdy structure with excellent acidity and length. While taught, this wine offers a lot of pleasure right now, as well as the promise of more developed notes with time in the cellar. Great effort. Only 88 cases made.

***++Rivers Marie, Thieriot vineyard, Sonoma Coast, chardonnay, 2007: An inaugural effort, this chardonnay was far and away the table’s favorite of the night. Right in between the Ceritas and the Aubert efforts, the RM chardonnay hits many of the former wine’s bright fruit notes with a slightly broader, richer palate that includes marzipan and a touch of hazelnut. Palate is generous but focused with a lingering mineral and citrus pith finish. A lovely wine and an amazing value at $45.

***++Aubert, Lauren vineyard, Sonoma Coast, chardonnay, 2004: If it is possible, this wine has become even more unctuous over time. Thick, oily, lemony, cardamom laced buttered popcorn, crème brulee and almond. Full, coating mouth feel, candied citrus and minerals. Delicious for it’s over the top, hedonistic nature. Drink soon.

***++Lokoya, Howell Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 2003: Served from magnum. I would characterize this wine as very similar in profile to the O’Shaughnessy cabernet listed below, but with more depth and focus. I am not sure if this is attributable to the vintage differences, format differences or otherwise. But this Lokoya adds chalk, a stronger mineral profile and licorice root to the fruited elements. The blue/black fruit is also more focused and youthful. A powerful wine for sure, but with excellent overall symmetry. Another reason to be a Howell Mountain cabernet fan.

***+O’Shaughnessy Vineyards, Howell Mountain, cabernet sauvignon, 2002: This cab splits the difference between the Merus (below mentioned) and the Araujo. Clearly mountain grown, this wine offers beautifully balanced brambly, deep, dark blue/black fruited cabernet aromas, adding tar, lead pencil and smoke. Not vague in any way, but much more extracted than the Araujo, it also adds a touch of green sweetness I associate with spearmint. Firm-ish palate, excellent oak integration, long finish. A very worthy effort made by folks who clearly take pride in the Howell Mountain terroir.

***+Merus, Napa Valley, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: Where the Araujo focuses on balance and integration, Merus substitutes depth and concentration. Almost aussie like in its primary fruit focus. Black and blue berry fruit preserves, cocoa powder, licorice root. A deep, thick iteration of cabernet. A bit ponderous, but still fun and very much delicious in a “…and for desert I’ll take the 5 lb. banana split sundae challenge! (gasps heard around the table)” kind of way. If you believe more is more, then Merus is for you. Even the bottle is oversized for a typical 750ml. Big!

***+ Chateau Langoa Barton, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 2000: A sister wine of the famed Ch. Leoville Barton. This wine has verve. Refreshingly NOT from Napa, one is immediately confronted with exuberant black fruit laced with animal, nicoise olive and bay leaf notes. The palate continues the assault, including a saline element, baker’s chocolate and racy red and black currants. Full, powerful, long tannic finish. Great with food. A yummy wine from a dynamite vintage. Drink or hold.

Wine Musings Vol#92

****+Wine of Merit: Marcassin, Zio Tony ranch, Russian River Valley, chardonnay, 2004: Wow! One must stop for a moment and appreciate. I have had other vintages of this wine and not been nearly as impressed. And yet this bottle of 2004 requires a complete rethinking and re-examination. At the same time complex and subtle, this chardonnay speaks to a sophistication and lightness of hand that I do not associate with Helen Turley, or new world chardonnay for that matter. Wonderful, lithe, balanced, frisky, and a sea-salty, lemon-zesty crushed sea shell verve (to balance out the more typical creme brulee notes) that I just loved. Perfectly balanced and structured. Long, mineral, lime-y finish. Just a superb chardonnay. Go figure.

***+Chateau Margui, Coteaux varois, rouge, 2006: A wonderful, spirited wine. A 60/40 syrah/cab mix from provence, this wine reminds me of the Galileo saying, "wine is sunshine held together by water". I can taste provence in there, its sun backed stones, garrigue, red and black currants and berries, the spice market in Aix en provence...delicious. And cheap ($17 a pop, $38 in mag!). Have it with a simple roasted chicken with new potatoes and count the blessings. Great.

***+Medlock Ames, Estate, Sonoma Mountain, merlot, 2003: Medlock Ames knows merlot. This iteration is firm and deep, with excellent plum and black currant, violet, mint, baker's choclate and pepper. Voluminous, with solid structure and good oak presence...never overwhelming. A wine to drink with air, or hold.

***+Jocelyn Lonen Winery, Lonen Reserve, cabernet sauvignon, 2003: Just wonderful. A wine made by the late Joshua Krupp, with fruit sourced from the Krupp's Stagecoach vineyard. Lovely concentration, rich and full...real Stagecoach terroir. Lush, velvety black cherry, mocha, cigar box with touches of fennel seed, earth and ripe plum that makes me think cab franc. Long, fine finish. Yum!

***+Woodward Canyon, Charbonneau vineyards, Walla walla, cabernet sauvignon, 1989: Yummy cab from another era. 12.3% abv, good acid structure, suave, gliding wahington state cab. Aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate, melted licorice, tar and a touch of bbq sauce. Integrated and harmonious front to back. Just a lovely wine to have with some slow cooked short ribs. Ah...the pleasures of food and wine.