Wine Musings Vol#18

From notes taken May, 2006:

Wine of Merit: ****Ridge Montebello, 1996: If the Whitehall is all charm, the Ridge is about stature and sophistication. A classic claret. More tightly wound, this wine is deep and well structured. Great cassis, bramble, black fruit and minerals. Some tobacco. The palate shows a deft touch, perfect depth and great integration. The finish is amazingly long. With time the wine loosens up a bit to show a cassis liqueur and flower nose. Drink or hold. Montebello continues to be a first growth among cali wines, IMHO and the 1996 is a lovely example of its pedigree and tradition.

***+Behrens & Hitchcock, Staglin Vineyard Cabernet , 1994: Big and juicy. Exhibiting much of the Staglin vineyard class and elegance, this wine still is unapologetically upfront. Lush, deep black cherry liquor and cassis waft from the glass. The palate offers the same, with lead pencil and potpourri spice. Palate is soft but very coating, deep and even throughout. Spicy, sweet finish. This wine borders on flabby but in the end pulls it off. I hate the stupid use of the word “hedonistic” when describing wine and yet…Drink or hold a bit, though it seems like it is pumping on all cylinders right now.

***Robert Ampeau Savigny Les Baune, 1990: Robert Ampeau is an eccentric. He decides when his wines are ready to drink and then releases them. I believe his current vintage for this wine is 1990 (others are releasing their 2004s)! Light ruby in color – this is a mature wine, though not in any way shape or form over the hill. Feminine, delicate nose of rose petal, bing cherry and chai tea notes, with progressively more pronounced cola. A smidge astringent on the finish, though the palate is generous. Very worthy and a delicious savigny. A testament to fine wine making.

***++ Whitehall Lane Reserve, 1996: Wow! This is amazingly expressive. Jammy, forward red and black fruit, fleshy peach, lavender and mocha notes. Thick licorice and truffles nuances. Amazingly youthful. Lavish oak, though perfectly integrated. Tannins are pronounced but sweet and furry on the finish. Not flabby but very pronounced. This wine will age well for another 10 years, taking on more complexity as the fruit unravels a bit. A great wine to have by itself or with cheese. Yum!

***Gary Farrell Allen / Rochioli Chardonnay, 1999: Surprisingly Fresh. Bright lemon zest, crème brulee, blood orange. Some candied fruit on the nose. Palate shows lavish oak, though it integrates nicely. Finish is firm with more spicy oak notes. Delicious.

**++Jory Lions Oak vineyard, Sangre de Donahue, Syrah 1998: Nice, Sideways Syrah. A bit jammy and fat given its age, the wine boasts blueberry / boysenberry and oak notes, with some garrigue and chocolate. Palate is a bit flabby but pleasant. A good drinker.

***White Cottage Ranch zinfandel, 1995: I have already waxed lyrical about White Cottage. This wine is holding up perfectly and shows freshness, depth and mountain fruit a plenty. Exactly what one should hope for in Napa zins with some bottle age. Smokin!

Wine Musings LTD: Wine Road 2006, Part III

Wine of Merit: ***++J. Rochioli, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 2004. Serious point. Wonderful depth of fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg and cola. Great expression of RRV terroir. Easy to pick out of a crowd. Creamy mouth feel. Nice.

Our first stop? Roshambo…if not for the wine, then for the whole crazy, winemaking meets Adam Ant sensibility the winery has. Who are these people? Amazingly the wines turn out to be pretty good too.

2003 Roshambo Chardonnay: Really very nice! Well integrated typical varietal flavors, sparing use of oak, nice length. Very worthy.

2002 Syrah, The Justice: Equally compelling. Strong, purity of fruit, herbs, black cherry and smoke. Hmmmm!

2002 Zinfandel The Reverend: The best of the bunch. Real RRV zinfandel! Palate coating, red fruit, Malabar pepper, flowers and rose hip. Excellent structure and grip. Long , mineral finish. Nice!

Roshambo Jug Wine, NV: That’s right…a non vintage jug wine made from carignane and zin, I think. 2001, 2002 and 2004 fruit. $35 a pop, for a 3.5 liter bottle. Delicious and fresh. Comes in a big ole jug wit a screw cap! Buy it if you dare! I would have if I could have shipped it.

Great first stop and a winery to watch. I love the vibe…and the wines are delish.


Next the exact opposite…Rochioli. Old school RRV.

2004 Sauvignon Blanc. Intense grapefruit, The body is not quite as full as typical and thus I find it a bit too bright and acidic. Amy loves the crispness and fresh, fruit intensity.

2004 RRV Pinot Noir. Serious point. Wonderful depth of fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg and cola. Great expression of RRV terroir. Easy to pick out of a crowd. Creamy mouth feel. Nice.

A quick stop at Davis Bynum, which in my opinion has lost more than a step since Gary Farrell stopped making wine there. I will not comment on the wines specifically other than to say that they are at best average across the board. The Shone Farm Sauvignon Blanc used to be a great QPR wine. Shame really. They are still making pinot noir from the Allen, Moshin and Rochioli vineyards but are not offering those for tasting, so perhaps those wines offer better quality. On the menu these wines go for $40 to $50 a pop. Certainly the Le Pinot wines made by Gary back in the early 90s are worth seeking out, and today the 1999 is being sold from the winery library at $100 a pop! I bought it from them at pre-release for $25. And ice cream cost a nickel too!

Our next stop is the newly minted Gary Farrell winery. It is a temple to wine. Good for Gary! He is pouring 5 wines. One is a 2001 cab that is just OK – a touch of bell pepper and too much zingy red fruit for me. The zin is much nicer, but I am candidly a bit zinned out at this point. Here are the wines I noted:

2005 Redwood Ranch Sauvignon Blanc: This is really very nice, not as bracing or bright as many, sees some wood right at the end which adds some creaminess and texture. Like the Gainey Sauv Blancs I happen to dig.

2004 RRV No Oak chard: Steel fermented - no wood at all. Bright green apple – I am guessing no malo either. Many love this style. I am a fan of complementary oak for RRV chard and thus appreciate but do not warm to this style of wine.

2004 RRV Chardonnay – I like this much better. The wood adds a softness to the mouth feel, complemented with the creaminess of the malolactic. Pear and fig notes are added to candied citrus elements. A classy chard.

Next Stop? Dutton Goldfield!

I admire these wines. I find them well balanced. Plus the Dutton chard and pinot fruit is great and Dan Goldfield is a Jew from Northeast Philly, so he has that going for him! Today they are pouring barrel tastings of 2004 Sanchietti pinot noir, which is amazingly polished and deep, with minerals and dark berries and 2005 Devils Gulch pinot, which has almost a unique, mountain fruit element to it that is interesting but not my cup o tea, and a 2005 Cherry Ridge syrah, which is inky and robust showing amazing purity of blueberry fruit and violets. They are also pouring a 2005 Morelli lane zinfandel, which is big, bright and fantastic for short term, hedonistic slurping…and I am beyond zinned out at this pin!

Lastly, I tasted the 2005 Rued Chardonnay, which was just about to be bottled. Wow! Buy this wine. Wonderful, white peach flavors, great minerality, honeysuckle and hazelnut. Really wonderful. And Dan says he is not a chard guy! I bought the last few bottles of 2004 in the tasting room. Yum!
I drank beer with dinner Sunday (Thai food). The though of another glass of wine made me a bit queasy! Quite the trip. I look forward to next year.

Wine Musings LTD: Wine Road 2006, Part II

Saturday Tastings:

We start the day in the Alexander Valley and Archipel / Verite. This is a KJ, Artisan and Estate winery, like Cardinale and Lokoya. They are making Alexander Valley cab and cab blends here…and they are delicious. The wines:

2000 Archipel Cabernet Sauvignon: Very nice, Good structure, deep fruit profile, integrated oak. Good to very good restaurant wine. Reminds me of a Jordan cabernet. Buy more? No.

2004 Archipel Barrel Sample: Now we are talking. Very polished for a barrel sample. Rich, some fruit driven but with very good depth and minerality, some earth notes and a touch of black licorice from the newly added Petite Verdot. Dynamite.

1998 Verite “La Muse”: Merolt based cab blend. Wow! As good a new world based merlot as I have had. Showing wonderful depth and complexity, violets, black truffle, blackberry preserve, solid core of red fruit and good structure. Yum.

1998 Verite “La Joie”: All about the cab. Pauliiac like, big brawny, deep black fruit, lead pencil, mint, excellent for the vintage. The balance allows it to be enjoyed now easily or salted away. Excellent.

I bought more of the Verite, including vintages 2001 and 2002, which got big, 98 point scores from RP. I also bought some of the “Le Desir” – a St. Emillion styled wine with more cab franc. These are not cheap wines, going for $100+ a pop. I am a convert and will buy their wines as often as I can. What a start!

Next up Stonestreet. Another KJ property. We had lingered a bit long at Verite, so we powered through this a bit. I will not comment on the wines in detail, other than to say they were not special. The 2005 chard from barrel I found a bit bubble-gummy but it is soooo young. The cab had searing tannins but good fruit and maybe worth watching. The merlot they were pouring was insipid. The 2003 cab is not noteworthy. I like their Upper barn chard but they weren’t pouring it.

Onward!

We then went to “The Locals” tasting room. Similar to Enoteca but for Geyerseville wineries. A few were really, really worth seeking out:

Hawley Barrel Fermented Placer County Viognier, 2004: I am not a viognier fan…but this is special. Barrel fermenting adds some richness to the floral notes and bright, white stone fruit. Great mouth feel. Nice! (I did not dig the 2005 barrel sample as much, I do not think it had seen wood yet). I also very much liked their 2005 barrel sample of RRV pinot noir – just wonderful, Dry Creek fruit and complexity. The 2004 was not as good.

Eric Ross Winery “Caitie’s Corner” Syrah, 2003: Again from barrel. WOW! This is a wonderful wine. The 10% viognier from the same vineyard really pumps up the aromatics and allows the wine to express great purity and concentration. Good secondaries of picholine olives and tar, too. Lovely at $25 a pop! Buy this wine! Btw, Eric Ross also makes a KILLER RRV zin port. I usually don’t go in for that kind of stuff…but it is wonderful. If you see it, get some.

Ramazotti “Raffinato” Super Tuscan, 2004: Also from Barrel. A blend of sangiovese, cab, syrah and cab franc. Stunning. Really, lovely expression of berry fruit, excellent integration, saddle leather, mocha, great balance for a barrel sample…again something worth seeking out. I did not like the 2003 as much.

I also had the latest 2001 Laurel Glen cab, which I very much admire and the 2004 Sauvignon Republic wines which I did not dig very much.

A quick stop at Pappapietro Perry. Things are getting crowded! Here is where the new style of over extracted wines is really coming to the fore. Lots of people really dig these wines…and the event showed it! Hard really to judge wines in this environment, so perhaps my scores suffer from a lack of proper context and focus. I did not buy any wines at PPP:

I liked their 2005 RRV zin barrel sample. Huge, rich, big extract but not over the top. No wimpy wines here. With time this wine will be very much worth drinking. $30 a pop. To the pinot noir:

The 2005 PPP RRV blend pinot is a lighter styled, lovely wine. Here again from barrel, the wine is not showing as much fruit and thus more of the barrel is coming through. The 2004 shows a similar profile, with more red fruit, rose petal and oolong tea notes. Good.

PPP Elsbree Pinot Noir, RRV, 2004: A bit more complex than the RRV blend, notes of red fruit and green tea, cinnamon and earth. Good grip and length. Very nice.

PPP Peters Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, 2003: Wow. Very extracted. Almost syrah like intensity. Thick, red and black berry fruit flavors mix with spice box, clove and church incense. The palate offers more fruit and a licorice root element as well. Long finish. The wine is not hot at all, but BIG. I am usually not a big extract guy, but this wine in my opinion pulled it off. Others were less favorable but I liked it.

The crowds are teeming at Raffanelli. Ridiculous. I pass on the barrel samples. I try the 2004 zinfandel and 2004 cabernet. The 2004 cab is huge, very fruit driven in style and not nearly as elegant as I remember Rafanelli cabs. Pass. The 2004 zin instead is typical Rafanelli. Elegant, balanced, red fruit, herbs and spice box, good vanilla and toast. Big in all respects but perfectly proportioned. A zin to lay down? The fruit will become lusher and Pomerol like, with added complexity. I would buy but they are only taking cash. Go figure! Nice.

On to Ridge, Lytton Springs. A lovely winery and much more civil. They have 3 barrel samples and 3 finished wine:

2004 Lytton Springs Carignane: Juicy. Lush, flavorful and forward. Good herbs to accompany and nice length. An ATP bottling.

2004 Lytton Springs zin: Also has some Carignage in there. Lovely, red fruit, pepper, lavender. Excellent mouth feel, full body and length. Will be a classic.

2005 Ridge Montebello: The pride of the winery. Right now VERY young. Not a lot of fruit, the body is full and integrated, the finish long, the nose coy, showing mostly chocolate covered espresso bean. When the aromatics come around this will be a great Montebello. Like the 1996, probably drinking a bit a head of schedule.

Of the finished wines, I was disappointed in the 2002 Geyeserville, which seemed almost port like and medicinal. The 2003 Lytton Springs was nice enough, though it too seemed a bit too big for its britches. It seemed abit confused, out of synch. I didn’t try the Chardonnay. Maybe it was the vintage, but these were not friendly wines.

Lastly, I visited with Doug Nalle and the Nalle family. As far as I am concerned he makes the best zin on the planet. Much respect for Doug, who represented with the 2004 zin, the 2005 zin from barrel and the 2004 pinot noir. I will say that the 2004 Nalle Dry Creek Zinfandel is the ONLY wine I bought on the road other than the Verite that day. It is perfect Dry Creek zin. Drink it now, hold it for 10 years. Elegant, balanced red fruit, great depth, minerals, floral aromatics, sage. The 2005 was lovely too, if a bit lighter on the palate, probably needing more barrel time. His pinot is also very good and many now feel it is his better wine. I was too focused on the zin. I have to admit, I am falling out of favor with zins, but these low alcohol, perfectly balanced zins bring me back. Thanks Doug!

Dinner was at the famed French Laundry. A lovely meal. It was enhanced by the 2003 Favia “la Josephina” pinot noir. This is an RRV (right near Rochioli) pinot vineyard…and it is very good. Elegant, low alcohol and integrated acid, this wine is deep, with smokey, black truffles and lush red fruit without being overbearing. The flavors integrate seamlessly. I liked it very much with our meal. It evolved over the 3+ hours it took and ended up with very pretty, rose petal and cinnamon elements I enjoyed with desert. Look for it, though I am guessing it is low production…

Wine Musings LTD: Wine Road 2006, Part I

Quick Pre-text. The following are quick tasting notes on a myriad of wines tasted over a weekend. Many are from barrel and thus are only suggestions as to what the finished wine might taste like. Almost all are small, 1 or 2 ounce tastes one fairly quickly after the other. Truth be told, I love doing this…it is a barrel of fun for me. It is however not a particularly good way to evaluate wine. I think wine should be evaluated by the bottle, spending lots of time over it, letting it unfold over time and ideally with food. SO take these notes with a grain of salt. I will say, in a broad sweeping kind of way, that both 2004 and 2005 seem like great vintages. Similar to the vintages of 10 years ago, 1994 / 1995, the earlier is a bit more forward and ripe, the later a bit more structured for the longer haul. I will also say that it seems like wineries are using these vintages to go for the big extraction, higher alcohol wines that garner big scores. Too bad. The wineries that have the balls to stick to focusing on balance and integration are the wineries, in my opinion, that will win in the longer run.

Friday: Arrival

No real time for tasting, other than a quick stop at the Sonoma Enoteca, where a number of small producers serve their wine for tasting. A few highlights:

I really like the wines being made over at Manzanita Creek. Their 2003 3 vines Dry Creek Zinfandel is worth seeking out. Very elegant and representative of the Dry Creek, the way zins should be made from their. Worth buying.

http://www.manzanitacreek.com/wineshop/

Similarly I recommend the Abundance Vineyards 2003 “Rich Red”: A zin/carignane mix from Lodi. Full and palate coating, red fruit driven, nice structure…Ridge Lytton Springs for $12 a bottle. Cannot beat it with a stick. They also make a Brick Hill pinot noir from the Sonoma coast that is delicious, complex and equally good value at $23.

http://www.abundancevineyards.com/wines.html

A bit more sophisticated but still well worth the price is the Madrone Ridge Proprietary Red, 2003: Only 200 cases of this cab based wine were made, offering rich, raspberry and chocolate notes, some nice garrigue complexities and a wonderful freshness. Again, great structure and fine balance. $32. Honestly, I don’t know who makes this wine or where you can get it other than the Enoteca:

http://www.sonoma-enoteca.com/Cart/MadroneRidge.html


The Dreyer family is making a wine from the ranch where the horse Seabiscuit was put out to stud up in Mendocino…and it is called Seabiscuit Ranch. The 2004 chardonnay is very worthwhile; lovely custard and linseed oil notes, buttered popcorn and lemon zest. Acids are bright but not too and oak is nicely integrated. $30.

http://www.seabiscuitranch.com/

Lastly, Compass Winery is making a crazy 2004 reisling from Umpqua Valley in Oregon: It is delicious if atypical. The nose is bright, full on pink grapefruit and blood orange. The palate, instead, is much more varietal, with typical tropical fruit, lichee nut and apricot. Lovely at $14. I think it is made by Dreyer as well.

Wine Musings Vol#17

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.

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.