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#39

Wine of Merit: *****Kongsgaard “The Judge” chardonnay, 2005: Order in the courtroom! This really is an absolutely spectacular wine. I really believe that anyone who has tired of chardonnay must revive / recalibrate his or her taste buds by sampling what John Kongsgaard puts together each and every year in his tete de cuvee of white wines. Everything about it is superlative; the nuanced, complex nose of clover honey, sage, lavender and bosc pear. The oily, viscous mouth feel that adds verbena and slate elements to the palate. The long, spicy, lemony finish that actually shows a zing of red grapefruit right at the end…wow. I love this wine and am happy to buy it year in and year out, even at its heady price of $125 (or $300-$500 after market) a pop. Well worth it.

****+Chateau Palmer, Margaux, Bordeaux 1995: I openly admit to being a total Palmer head. There is just something about the way it all comes together – it is at once pretty yet serious, lithe yet deep, nuanced yet massive - that just makes it one of the great wine experiences to be had. The 1995 is a wonderful wine. It does not have the layer upon layer of complexity that the 1983 or 1989 had. It is a bit more straightforward…but worthy nonetheless. Great Margaux red fruit, wonderful chalky minerals, violets and black licorice…truffles. Great weight, seamless integration, not showing really any age at all, perfect finish that is honed and muscular but still all in balance. A finely toned wine.

****Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Bolgheri, 1997: My friend John Caldarella is on a mission to remind me of how wonderful Italian wines can be. He is succeeding. This is a great wine that has aged beautifully. For those not in the know, Ornellaia is a Bordeaux-like blend originally made by the Antinori family (I believe it has since been sold – anyone see Mondo Vino?). Out of the bottle this is a wild wine…showing smoke, grilled meat, truffle and ripe plum. Palate is coating and expansive with more super ripe fruit, black olive and tar. Finish is also full if not particularly remarkable. With time in the glass it settles down quite a bit, becoming more nuanced and much more red fruit driven. I think this wine is very much ready to drink right now….right at its peak.

****Rivers Marie, Napa Valley cabernet, 2004: I am crazy for Thomas Rivers Brown wines. Outpost, Rivers Marie (his own label), Schrader, Maybach…the list goes on. Thomas is better known for the pinot he makes with this label, but I know what he does with cab and thus was expecting great stuff. I was not disappointed. Wow- this is delicious! Huge nose of blackberry, plum, bittersweet chocolate, scorched earth. This style can easily go over the top (see Husic notes) but this rides the wave perfectly, keeping it just in check. The palate is expansive and generous, adding black pepper and licorice root. Finish is long and still very young. This is a dynamite effort that may reward cellaring…but will be difficult to keep you hands off in the short term. Kudos TRB!

***+Araujo estate grappa, 2003: And now for something completely different…grappa! I love Araujo grappa – it is my favorite of all grappas, better than Nonino, better than their Piccolit. In fact, I would say that this is a great grappa to try if you think you do not like grappa. It is not astringent at all. Lovely, nuanced espresso bean and vanilla notes, with a touch of white flowers. Some heat but not too much. And smooooooth? Wow, the texture and mouth feel are wonderful. Even the finish is great, adding a bit of white pepper and more spice from the oak. A great after meal digestif.

***+Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino, 1999: Another installment of Caldarella on Italian wine. Delicious. Bright raspberry fruit, saddle leather, licorice root. At the top of the maturity bell curve. Expansive and palate coating, with a fine, sweet tannic finish. A statesman of a wine. I could drink a lot of this!

***+Castel Giocondo Brunello di Montalcino, 1999: Lovely and very mature. This wine shows red and black fruit, morel mushrooms, a nice black olive element and toast. Not thinning on the palate but clearly mature. Lovely mineral element mid palate. This is a dynamite wine that offers great nuance and really got better and better as the evening progressed.

***+Frogs Leap Napa Valley cabernet, 2001: Another surprise. I have always enjoyed Frogs leap wines (if you have never had their “Late Leap” Sauternes-like dessert wine, you should…the packaging alone is worth the effort) but never thought of them as more than restaurant fare. This wine was much better than that. Very nice depth, with good grip and balance, this wine is still youthful but very much in alignment. Black, berry fruit, tar, minerals and violets create an alluring mélange. Again, the palate shows nice heft and balance with more black fruit and some briar. No drop off to the finish, which offers fine, sweet tannins. A very worthy wine from a very worthy vintage.

***Newton Unfiltered chardonnay, 2002: Flamboyant and fun. This is a no holds barred chardonnay. It offers over the top aromas of lemon meringue, hibiscus, marzipan and grilled peach. The palate is lush, perhaps a tad flabby, adding elements of linseed and café au lait. Nice, candied citrus zest finish with more toasty, spicy oak. Honestly, it was a bit of a surprise to me as the 2003 is a much more balanced, nuanced wine. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.

Wine Musings Vol#38

Wine of Merit: ****Chateau Gruaud Larose, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 2000: I opened this by mistake, thinking it a 1990. It was a fortuitous mistake. Huge and brawny, this wine and the 86 Barton really are not that dissimilar, though one is the before and the other is the after. This wine makes me think of a bottomless well…black, deep, endless. The nose is surprisingly generous, offering that Gruaud funk, blackberry, briar, tar…great stuff. The structure suggests this wine will reward cellaring for decades. Superlative. You know, it is a pity Bordeaux is costing so much these days…the wines are really worthy and in a completely different class from even the best Cali cabernets.


***++Chateau Leoville Barton, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1986: Ok – let’s get one thing out in the open right from the start…I LOVE well crafted St. Julien wines. So rich, so powerful and yet so nuanced...just wonderful. This wine delivers. Great color and depth. Aromas of blackberry preserves, cassis, nuances of iodine, minerals, forest bottom. Palate initially seems to have thinned a bit, but then opens up to reveal more black fruit, licorice with a full, coating feel. Tannins are still very much present but wonderfully integrated. Righteous.


***+Blackbird Vineyards, Proprietary Red Wine, Oak Knoll, 2004: This is a merlot based wine made by Sarah Gott that has been garnering quite a bit of praise lately. It is, in fact delicious. Not the “new world Pomerol” that they suggest it is – instead I would liken it to old school Matanzas Creek (of which I am a big fan): Deep, blue, red fruit based, great concentration and balance, generous use of new oak. Great notes of black currant, dark chocolate, violets…great stuff. Full, coating mouthfeel, lots of depth right to the finish, sweet, long tannins. Dynamite wine. At $80, not sure if it is a wine I will buy in every vintage…but it does not disappoint.


***+PlumpJack Reserve, Oakville, cabernet sauvignon, 2004: See Husic…sort of. This wine exhibits a bit more balance and nuance, though the base notes are very much the same. I won’t repeat the notes (they really are very similar) other than to say that these are wines that can be had with a nice cheese plate or chocolate dessert and I am sure will really show well. Fun wines that I am glad to drink…but not to cellar.


***DeLille Cellars, Chaluer Estate Blanc, Washington, 2006: A Sauvignon blanc / Semillon mix that blinded I would have guessed white Graves. Really super, fresh lemon zest, slate, mission fig a touch of petrol. With time, more of the barrel fermented Semillion shows up adding toast, almond and vanilla. Bracing acids but not zippy, great mouthfeel…a serious white that is a great food wine. Reminds me a bit of the Kalin Semillion. At $30 a pop it is very much worth seeking out.


***Medlock Ames, Bell Mountain, Alexander Valley, sauvignon blanc, 2006: I had not tried this wine before…and I was blown away! One of a select few that set the standard for California sauvignon blanc (I would place it right up there with Peter Michael Après Midi and Rochioli Estate). Fresh, lithe, bright and energized, this sauvignon blanc has wonderful, sweet lichee, white peach, honeysuckle, vanilla and lavender notes. Not cloying or racy, this has surprising depth and grace for a wine so young, with dynamite, clean minerality from mid palate to finish. Good stuff.

***Husic Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2002: Husic is one of those new-to-the-scene $100 a pop cabernet wineries that have sprouted up all over the place in Napa Valley, as boomers age out of the work force and decide to pursue their life long dream of hob knobbing with Heidi Barrett and Francis Ford Coppola (See Revana, Vineyard 29, etc.). Good by me! In any case, this wine seems to follow the ultra-ripe, extended maceration, high ferment temp, lots of new oak, full throttle strategy that generates big scores among some. It is delicious. Lush, plum and prune Danish, almond paste (hamantashen! How often do you see that in a wine note?) notes. Lots of hazelnut, espresso bean and chocolate, along with cardamom and cigar box. Briar. The mouth feel is lush and velvety and unwinds to offer blackberry preserve and licorice. Finish is round and sweet. I appreciate it, just not really my style.

**++Chasseur, Lorenzo’s vineyard, chardonnay, 2003: Jonesing for a positive Chassuer experience…this wine delivers. Initially coy and even a bit funky, it opens to reveal big, ripe chardonnay fruit, butterscotch and baked pear. Lush, round mouthfeel. Some minerals on the finish with a slight edge of bitterness. More Corton than Mersault, I like this wine but it seems almost one dimensional, so round and buttery is the perfumed nose. Reminds me of a Beringer PR chardonnay – not an ager but good.

Wine Musings Vol#37

Wine of Merit: ***+Capiaux, Chimera, Sonoma County pinot noir, 2004: Lovely. Made by Sean Capiaux, who also makes the O’Shaughnessy wines over in Napa. This wine is made from a few different vineyards including Gary’s vineyard, Pisoni and a few others. Delicious with good weight, depth and seamless integration. Red and blue fruits, minerals, truffle and exotic tea, coupled with a firm but integrated tannic backbone make this a candidate for cellaring. Mouth feel is creamy but not soft, acids help structure but do not make the wine zippy. Oak ads spice but is far from overdone. Nice!

***Medlock Ames Rose, Alexander Valley, 2006: I am a huge Medlock Ames fan. I dig everything they do and the enthusiasm with which they do it…and their wines are delicious. This is no exception. Their 2006 rose (of cabernet and merlot, I think) is bright and fresh. Not overly exuberant, it offers watermelon, rosehip, celery and anise notes. A dynamite food wine, the palate is invigorating with a delicious spicy and long finish. Have it with a piece of cold, leftover grilled chicken and some roasted rosemary new potatoes while watching the Eagles KILL the Lions…it is especially delicious like that (even with those ugly throw backs)!

***75 Wine Company, Amber Knoll vineyard, Lake County , 2004: This is a wine made by the Beckstoffer family, major players in vineyard ownership and management throughout Napa Valley. This wine is, interestingly, not from there but from Lake County, up in Mendocino. I found the wine delicious if fairly simple and straightforward. Big, thick generous notes of black licorice, cassis and black cherry liqueur waft from the glass. The body is medium to heavy weight, with a velvety, layered palate feel. The finish is youthful but round and sweet, with yummy, earthy spice. I understand this wine to go for less than $20 a pop and as such is a steal.

**++Owen Roe, Walla Walla cabernet sauvignon, 2005: Another young, brawny cabernet, this one from the seven hills vineyard up in Washington. I found this wine fun if not very multi dimensional. Thick, roasted black fruit, cardamom, toffee and vanilla. Very much still showing a lot of baby fat, this wine is also lavishly oaked with at the very least a medium plus toast, showing caramel and butter on a sweet, round finish. I would hold this for a year just to see if it grows into all of the flesh that it is showing right now.

**++Chasseur, Sylvia’s, Dutton Vineyard, Sonoma, pinot noir, 1999: I am a huge Chasseur fan. But I have found that Bill Hunter’s wines tend to thin with age – not adding complexity or maintaining structure. This wine is lovely if light bodied. Bright, bing cherry, vanilla, sage and cardamom, intermingled with elements of potpourri edge there way to the rim of the glass. The body shows a touch of thinness in the mid palate where some green wood elements show through. The finish is of medium length and spicy.

Wine Musings LTD: Amber Ridge Part 2

Well, things have heated up…literally. Out of cold soak, my Amber Ridge pinot noir was gently warmed up to room temp. Multiple, daily punch downs continue to occur. After a couple of days warming up (when it is also typical for natural yeasts to start the fermentation process) we inoculated with ASM, a yeast that is known to allow for excellent color and an additional spicy note. Yum – we are starting to make wine!

Note the fermentation graph…see how brix goes down as temp goes up. Each day, as we get past zero brix, we taste the juice, looking for depth and intensity of aromas and flavors but also looking for structure imparted by the skins before we press. Here is Chris Nelson, my consulting winemaker, tasting through with me…A day or two more, Chris! We press on the 20th! At that point we will barrel down the free run juice (30% new Francios Freres French oak, MT) and the press wine, inoculate for malo lactic and begin the aging process in earnest. More to come…

Wine Musings LTD: 2007 Amber Ridge Pinot Update

Having mostly focused on the Ghost of Vino Past (older vintages) and the Ghost of Vino Present (current vintages and barrel samples) we now move to our crystal ball and look in on the Ghost of Vino Future (the upcoming vintage)!

As some of you may know, this year I am making a pinot noir from the Amber Ridge vineyard in the Russian River Valley. Other wineries that make pinot from Amber Ridge include Kosta Browne and Siduri – both mid 90 point wines according to the guru Robert Parker. Having recently completed a syrah from White Hawk vineyard in Santa Barbara and a cabernet sauvignon from To Kalon in Napa with some success, I thought it time to experiment with the “heart break grape”. I will therefore give you updates from time to time on how it is progressing. Oh, and the best news; the wine is for sale to friends by the case at my manufacturing cost. First 22 to raise their hands get a case at $300, or $25 a bottle (plus shipping). The release party will be at my house and we will crack great vino with some yummy food and celebrate the day. To the update:

Amber Ridge supports three Dijon clones of pinot noir – clones 115, 667 and 777. Each offers different nuances of taste and structure. It is typical that each will mature at different rates and be picked at different times. Not this year! After a nice fairly text book spring and early summer, the heat began to rise in the RRV in early September. And so did the sugar levels. As it turned out, all three varietals came in on September 4th, at 25 – 26.2 degrees brix. Crops were light but berries looked great (and more importantly tasted great) and skins were thick (images are of actual fruit from this weeks harvest!). My pinot noir lot was expertly sorted with the help of team Selover (my sis and brother-in-law) – who can attest to the “deliciousity” of the fruit. We are on the right track! What will follow will be at least five days of cold soak with daily punch downs before we begin fermentation. This will allow for colors and good flavors to be imparted from the skins to the juice. More updates will come once we warm up from cold soak and start fermenting.