Tasting on June 13, Friday, 2008

Present were Uncle-N, Piroca, Winepath, Jimmy and sweaty bicycle-riding Uncle-E. We blind-tasted 4 interesting wines.

1. Peter Lehmann Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, score=2

Nose is rather closed but black cherry and a hint of chemical or burning rubber note coming through. No apparent “funk”. It was a bit hot (later found out the alcohol is 14.5%) with nice but rather controlled fruits with somewhat hollow mid palate and sour cherry finish. Most tasters felt this may be too acidic. Good tannin. The tasters could not quite place this wine; we thought of Bordeaux-style meritage possibly from California and felt that the style is rather old world but must have come from the new world. This was Peter Lehmann Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 from Australia. According to the winery, American oak was used but we did not detect typical vanilla and caramel. We have not tasted Australian cab in our blog before (if I am not mistaken). The wine maker is Andrew Wigan. The reason Winepath bought this wine is that he heard about demotion of the CFO at Lehman Brothers “Erin Callan”. We are not sure if this is a good way to buy wine. Some quote about Peter Lehmann.
"As a young man Peter Lehmann (pictured with Andrew Wigan and Doug Lehmann) worked at Yalumba during the 1940s, beginning a lifetime of achievement in the Barossa Valley. He is one of the most important characters in the Barossa. The son of a Lutheran pastor, Lehmann kept the spirit alive during periods of severe economic downturn. His reward is access to some of the very best fruit in the Barossa Valley. With a reputation for making quality Shiraz since the 1950s, Lehmann’s winemaker, Andrew Wigan, represents in winemaking terms a blend of traditional thought and modern practice." - Andrew Caillard MW.

2. Cabreo Toscana Il Borgo 2001, score=2

We detected no obvious funk but rather closed nose with some coffee grind and black fruits. The palate is definitely more “old world” but some black fruits are coming through with nice structured tannin and long sour cherry or acidic finish. This one tasted very similar to Peter Lehmann. Chile, Argentina, Spain and Italy were mentioned. In the passing, even suggestion of Cab and Sangiovese was made but the person who said it quickly retracted this suggestion. This happened to be Super Tuscan with 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from Cabreo. This wine got 91 from both WS and WA. Quote from WA (do not know if this is by RP or JM or AG).
"Tenute del Cabreo belongs to Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, formerly active in the family firm of Ruffino but now out on their own. The 2001 Cabreo il Borgo, a Sangiovese with Cabernet, shows a new finesse in the integration of the two grapes with its fragrant and elegant aromas of red currants and black currants, spicy oak, and violets, its ample and polished palate, and the lingering, well-sustained finish. It will drink well for another decade." - 91 Points - The Wine Advocate.

3. Orin Swift Mercury head Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Score=3

This one was a classic Piroca wine. Nose is nice with lots of fruits (black berry, black cherry) with tons of vanilla and caramel. The nose said this is a new world high-end Cali cab. The taste is also classic with lots of fruits, nice smooth mouth feel, lots of vanilla and caramel leading to rather gentle finish with soft smooth tannin. Although the soft tannin made some of us to think this is not cab but we though this has to be Cali Cab. This turned out to be among our old favorite; cab from the Orin Swift line-up. The coin has dropped off so the picture is the back of the bottle.


4. Paloma Merlot 2005, score=2+

Nose has fruits, chocolate, vanilla and caramel but whether it has “funk” depended on the taster. Uncle-E felt that this is definite funk but the rest of us could not perceive it. The palate is nice with good fruits laced with vanilla, chocolate and caramel (definitely new world) with some sweetness in the finish. Nice wine. After some discussion and help from Uncle-E, Piroca uttered “Merlot” and even guessed Paloma (this is due to the shape and color of the bottle and the fact Uncle-E previously brought Paloma Merlot 2004). Although I could not get exact percentage but this one contains small amount (12-18%) of cabernet sauvignon as well.

So back-to-back, we tasted wines from small Napa boutique Wineries with cult followers.