Tasting on April 11, 2008

Present were Piroca, Jimmy, Uncle-N, Winepath, and Uncle-E. Afterwards Grasshopper made a guest appearance. Except for Shafer, all other wines were blindly tasted and they appear in the order we tasted.

0. Shafer one point five 2005, Heat-stressed?

This was Jimmy’s secret stash but the room he was storing got very hot (140F) due to equipment failure and the 1/3 cork was pushed out breaking the foil and some wine leakage. This was then kept in the 56F (in wine refrigerator) for several days. We just wanted to taste if in deed we can tell the difference.
The nose is just fine and the taste is mostly fine. If there are any differences, these are very subtle. Piroca and Jimmy felt that unctuousness was lost but the rest of us could not tell the differences.

1. Jordan cabernet Sauvignon 2004, score=2~3

The nose has some earthiness (another word “funk”) with wet leaves and mushroom in addition to black cherry. Sweet potato, cedar and green pepper were also mentioned by the tasters. The palate is better with good black fruits, caramel and decent but "could be longer" finish and firm but well-moderated tannin but taste more like old world without fruits too much forward. We just tasted this again since we recently tasted this in a restaurant when Uncle-N and Winepath were in Denver and we may not have given adequate attention to it. Most of the tasters felt this is European, may be Bordeaux or Italian (Tuscan?) but uncle-E decisively stated this is a Cali Cab based on “green pepper” nose.

2. Loan Shiraz Barossa valley 2003, Score=2 ~ 3

Dark almost black color and Piroca announced “Shiraz” from Australia without sniffing or tasting. Nice plumy nose with cedar, smoked meat and saddle leather (we cam up with this without knowing the RP note). Piroca felt there is too much oak nose and described as "oak-jam"). The palate is also nice with viscous buttery mouth feel with plum and black fruits with some smoky taste. No black pepper finish was noted. Definitely a new world wine. Finish could be longer. Most of us though this is Australian Shiraz, possibly one of the M-D and liked this and gave a 3 but this is not Uncle-E’s cap of tea (or wine). RP gave a 94 to this one and the below are his note.

"The 2003 Shiraz spent 25 months in new American oak hogsheads. It offers up an alluring bouquet of cedar, saddle leather, violets, smoked meat, and blueberry compote. Full-bodied, opulent, and intensely flavored, this super rich Shiraz has a long, pure finish. There is enough structure to support 6-8 years in the cellar and it should drink well through 2025. Loan was the second farm planted in the history of the Barossa. Today the Loan property is the only certified organic vineyard in the Barossa."
-Wine Advocate

3. Coppola Diamond Collection Claret 2006, Score=2+

The nose has candied fruits and wood-derived smells including caramel. The palate is also "oak"-derived with good tannin. We could not place this wine but thought of Spanish or Malbec. It was like an old world wine. Here is the description from the Winery.

"Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Black Label Claret, as its British-derived name implies, is Cabernet Sauvignon-based and made in the same style as Bordeaux's finest wines. A blend of the classic Bordeaux varietals — Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc."

4. Juslyn cabernet Sauvignon 2003, Score=3

The nose is very intense with sulfa or chemical smell and some minerality. Cruciferous (cabbage) vegetable nose was also noted. Some of us thought the nose is not pleasant. The taste is better than nose but again, heavy in oak with black cherry. It is rather Bordeaux-like. Nice tannin and long finish. This is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. RP gave it a 93.







5. Callaghan (Arizona) Back lot cuvee 2004, Score=2+

The color is lighter than usual wines we taste which immediately made us think of Pinot (especially this was brought by Uncle-E). The nose is very fragrant almost perfumy. The palate has more floral tastes (rose petal etc) with red fruits and sweet note. Very mild tannin and short finish. We thought this could be Rhone blend, may be Grenache, may be Pinotage (since this was screw top, Australia, Spanish, and South Africa were considered). But this was a very unusual wine from Arizona, blend of 82% mourvedre and 38% syrah.