FRIDAY NIGHT TASTINGS, NOVEMBER 14, 2008

Present were: Uncles Jimmy, Piroca, Winepath, and E. Uncle E brought a visitor, an old friend of his, Uncle S. Unfortunately, Uncle N could not join us.
The first bottle we tasted was thought to be new world, perhaps a cab. Smokey, dark, cherry, medicinal, quite pleasant. Acidic finish, which did not add much to the taste. After some breathing, it tasted better, but the acidity persisted. It was an Australian shiraz, BIN 61, from Clare Valley, 2004. I think that shiraz can be a great pretender. A 2+

Uncle Ozzie, who lately became an enthusiastic supporter of the Winepath Club, produced this old friend. Burned rubber, jus-de-viande, touch of septic tank funk. We guessed it to be a shiraz: Barrel Monkeys, from Australia, 15.5% alcohol, whoaa! A 2+.

Excellent nose: orange, marmalade, grand marnier. Taste a bit disappointing (according to Uncle E, the contributor), but winepath liked it, pure citrus, (e.g. lemon), basil, mint (Winepath). No one could figure this one out. It is Sierra Carche 2006, from Jumilla, Spain. Intersting wine. A 2 or 3, depending whom you ask. Spain produces some real surprises.

This was a contribution by Uncle E's friend, Uncle S. Nice nose, cedar, apple juice, plum. Uncle winepath thought it was a Shiraz, but not from Australia. Wrong as usual: this is a malbec, DECERO 2006, from Mendoza, Argentina. In fact, Uncle Piroca thought it was a malbec. Nice, a 2+ or 3.

A great wine, full vanilla, dark rich, fruitty. Switchback Ridge, 2005, from Napa Valley, by the Peterson Family Vineyards. A 3+to 4. I wish they'd improve the unflattering label. This wine deserves it.

Excellent. Funky nose, big, velvetty, real cab, we thought this to be a California cab. Turned out to be a real winner, uncle P's Caymus , Special Selection,2006. 3+ or 4, easily the best tonight, along with the above Switchback Ridge.

The last bottle to be tasted. No wonder it's upside down. A red Rhone from Cotes-du-Ventoux, "
OPERA", 2003. An 1+, if we are to be generous. Thin, tasteless, a waste of time.

Wine tasting of November 7, 2008

Winepath is back after visiting Napa valley. Since he complained about our extravagant tastings while he was away, Jimmy planned to honor him with three very ”extravagant” (read “cheap”) wines. To make Jimmy's joke work, Piroca and Uncle-N presented these wines as though they had brought them. Our hope was that Winepath would be very impressed with this 7 bottle “extravagant” tasting--he wasn't. In any case, we had a guest appearance of Uncle-OZ and very late arrival of Uncle-E in addition to our usual, Piroca, Jimmy, Winepath and Uncle-N.

1. Palazzo Napa Valley Red Wine 2004, Score=2+

Nose is bit closed but jammy red fruits were apparent. Palate is bit austere with jammy note with good mid palate and finishes with nice firm tannin. Finish is bit short. Overall, this is a very well made and classic wine of Bordeaux style. Since there is no prominent earthiness or funk, we suggested California Bordeaux-blend. Because of the jammy taste, Piroca suggested Merlot but we discussed that it was very rare to find Merlot predominant Bordeaux blends (right bank) from California. But we were right on! This was Palazzo Napa Red Wine 04 which is made of 72% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon and aged in 40% New French Oak.
Here is the wine maker’s note: “My inspiration, and passion for producing my wine continues to come from the beautiful ‘Right Bank’ region of Bordeaux, France… and the exceptional wines produced from the small, family owned Chateau’s that dot the rolling hillsides of this enchanted wine area. Merlot continues to make up the lion share of my PALAZZO 2004 Napa Valley Red Wine… and is the ‘backbone’ of this vintage… giving the wine its power & strength… The Cabernet Franc adds brightness, acidity and a ‘floral spiciness’ to the wine… with the Cabernet Sauvignon adding structure and character to the body and finish of the wine.”
RP gave 90 and said; "Scott Palazzo has fashioned a stylish, European-inspired dry red offering wonderful sweet black cherry, cassis, lead pencil shavings, pain grille, and licorice aromas. Medium-bodied, elegant, and refined, it is accessible at present, but will be even better with another year or so of bottle age. It should evolve nicely for a decade. It’s nice to see such finesse styled efforts emerging from California as there is often a misconception that everything produced in that state is too ripe, too big, and too extracted." (12/06)

2. Pacific Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Score=1+~2

This was the first of Jimmy’s “extravagant” wines for winepath. Nose has grapy or grape juice (Welch’s) note. Some felt that there was something a bit unpleasant; slight smell of “bad” meat, but some did not smell this. Palate is rather simple having acidic finish with smoky note and decent tannin. There is no vanilla or caramel here. Winepath suggested Italian. It is the most drinkable among the “extravagant” three as you will see below.

3. Giant Steps Yarra Valley Merlot 2001, Score=2

Nose has minerals such as pencil lead with prominent cedar or minty notes. Palate is bit austere but nice with moderate tannin. Northern Italian wine was suggested but no earthiness makes that unlikely. Chilean and Aussie cab or cab blend was also suggested. But this was Aussie Merlot from winery “Giant Steps”. We are not familiar with this name but it’s other name is “Innocent bystander”. We have tasted their Shiraz under that name, which, we thought was pretty decent with a high PQR. If you are visiting Australia, we should visit this place (see below).

Quoting from “The Man from Mosel River (Rainer Adam)”; “Actually Giant Steps - Innocent Bystander is not only a winery but also a restaurant, café, bakery, meeting place, etc. in the heart of Healesville, the charming rural town about an hour away north east of Melbourne. Phil and Allison Sexton, the owners, deserve great praise for having the courage to establish such an enterprise, the merging of an industrial work place like a winery with the inviting hospitality necessary for a café-bistro.”

4. Pacific Peak Merlot 2007, Score=1

This is the second installment of Jimmy’s “extravagant” wines. Color is thin and transparent. Nose is grapy with musty note. Palate is rather simple like water with tannin. This is not good.

5. Canyon Oaks California Zinfandel 2007, score=1+

This is the final of Jimmy’s “extravagant” wines for Winepath. Jimmy wanted another Pacific Peak but it was not available and had to splurge to get this higher priced Zin from Central California. Nose has (again) grapiness with minerals. Simple palate with acidic finish. At this point, winepath was not happy about us. So we proceeded with our true offerings for this evening.

6. Caymus Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Score=3+~ (4)

Here comes a real wine. Color is dark with nice nose of black cherry, black berry with vanilla predominating. Palate is that of a highly extracted new world wine. Lots of black fruits with tons of vanilla, caramel with perfumed coconuts ending in nice firm tannin with long finish. Reminded of us of Clio. Consensus is that this is a classic New World Cali Cab. Caymus is such a consistent wine producer and 06 is no exception.

92 points Wine Spectator Insider: "Full-blown, ripe and rich, with intense and sharply focused dried currant, wild berry and blackberry fruit that's still fairly tannic at this stage. Ends with a long, persistent finish. Best from 2010 through 2015." (10/29/08)

7. Barnett Vineyards Cyrus Ryan Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, score=3+~ (4)

This one came in a “body builder” bottle, which gave away a hint as to what this could be. Color is nice with dark garnet with distinctive blue or purple tinge at the rim. Nose has nice spices and oak with licorice. Palate is intense with tons of black fruits with vanilla and caramel transition into big firm tannin that, some felt, was too bitter in the begining but got much better after some aeration. No question; this is a highly extracted and highly oaked new world wine. It felt bit “hot” indicating high alcohol. Because of the color, Malbec (only Malbec we know which comes in this bottle is Catena Zapata), Syrah Cab blend from Australia were suggested. Uncle-N and lady Sea tasted this one on the mountaintop of the Barnett vineyard this summer. Among the ones we tasted, we liked this the best. The grapes came from the valley floor instead of the mountain fruits of the Barnett itself. Finally we got the shipment. Judging from what we can find on the Internet, we have gotten fairly good price at the Winery.

Here is the wine maker’s note; “The first-ever bottling of the pristine Cyrus-Ryan Vineyard Cabernet promises to be a unique and exciting edition to the Barnett tradition of single-vineyard wines. Located on the western edge of the Valley Floor, on the border of St. Helena and Calistoga, the Cyrus-Ryan Vineyard produces Cabernet Sauvignon indicative of its warm location and volcanic soils. "Whereas the Rattlesnake Hill Cabernet is an expression of complexity, spice nuances, minerality, and long, drawn-out, fine tannins, the Cyrus-Ryan Cabernet reflects the best of classic Valley Floor influences: gobs of ripe, unctuous blackberry fruit delivered unreservedly with pronounced, chewy tannins. It's extracted, generous, and balanced.”
Some professional reviews: Wine Enthusiast: “The wine is enormously ripe, a lip-smacking fruity 100% Cab that seduces the palate with massive black currant, licorice, sweet date and cedar flavors. Yet it has a tannic astringency that suggests, although it does not require aging[, it] should develop well for at least a decade. Score: 93. —Steve Heimoff, June 01, 2008. Wine Spectator: “Broad-shouldered, intense and concentrated, with a tight, rich band of spicy currant, cedar, hazelnut, sage and herbal scents. Young and tightly wound, this needs time in the cellar or a good decanting. Best from 2011 through 2017. 427 cases made. Score: 92.” —James Laube, May 15, 2008.

Wine tasting on October 31, 2008

This was a Halloween night tasting and, again, we went a bit overboard and blind tasted 7 wines (the last one was covered by Uncle-E’s deft hands when poured). Present were Uncle-E, Piroca, Jimmy, and Uncle-N and a guest appearance of Uncle-OZ after everything was uncovered. Winepath was still missing in action probably finishing up a multimillion-dollar deal to purchase a vineyard. This was an interesting tasting which included two Rhone wines (Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Vacqueyras) as well as very old (1995) Barolo.

1. Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvee Lopy 2005, score=2+

Color is very dark, almost black with blue or purple tinge at the rim. Nose has “sweaty foot”, roasted meat and dirt (or earth to be delicate) but later Unlce-E decisively described it as “fecal” or pure “poop” smell in addition to black cherry. Palate is nice with intense black fruits with plum and very big tannin, which at the back end felt to be too strong. In all, this is a big wine. Aussie Syrah was mentioned and also Uncle-N suggested “Hermitage” but Piroca who provided this wine said “what is that?” so we figured this was not “Hermitage”. Because of the blue tinge Malbec was considered but the palate did not go with that. So we settle for probably syrah. This happened to be Vacqueyras, very unusual selection by Piroca .

By our definitive reference for everything, Wikipedia “Vacqueyras is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the southern Rhône wine region of France. It is primarily a Red wine region with some white and rosé wines being produced. Being a little brother of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and, arguably, Gigondas”. Just as an addendum, again from Wikipedia, “Hermitage is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the northern Rhône wine region of France south of Lyon. It produces mostly red wine from the Syrah grape, however small quantities of white wine are also produced from Roussane and Marsanne grapes.”
Finally RP said, "One of the great Vacqueyras of the vintage is the 2005 Vacqueyras Cuvee du Lopy. A blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah, all from 40- to 50+-year-old vines, this wine has a wonderfully smoky, earthy nose of truffle juice, blackberries, cherries, meats, and Provencal herbs. Some forest floor and flowers are also there. Deep, sumptuous, rich, dense, with moderately high but sweet tannin, this is a sensational Vacqueyras to drink over the next 10-15 years. With 42 acres, Domaine Sang des Cailloux seems to make the argument with each vintage that it is the top producer in Vacqueyras. The wines, named after proprietor Serge Ferigoule’s daughters, are consistently super, exhibiting the full glories of Provence, the Grenache grape, and the terroirs of Vacqueyras." 93 points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, Issue 175.

Did you notice how delicately the nose was described? But he forgot to mention that there was animal excrements on the forest floor.

2. Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, Score=2+~3

This one came in a unique bottle; tall and skinny with amber colored glass. Again, color is very dark but more like garnet with slight brown tinge at the rim. Nose is nice without any funk or unpleasantness, some cedar tone. Palate is also nice with some sweet note (raisin as per Jimmy) with lots of black fruits with vanilla and caramel along with nice firm tannin and long finish. The back end shows some acidic but not unpleasant finish. Consensus was that this is Cali Cab and definitely a new world. This is what RP said; "I was blown away by the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, which spent almost 34 months in 70% new French oak barrels. The wine is beautifully impressive, with a deep ruby/purple color and notes of loamy soil intermixed with creme de cassis, cedar, and licorice. The wine is full-bodied, powerful, but beautifully nuanced and nicely structured, with sweet, silky tannins. This wine should evolve for at least 20 or more years. The good news is that there are about 3,800 cases of this superb Cabernet. Altamura has been making wines for almost 20 years, and I certainly thought several of these wines were the best I ever had from them. They are located in Wooden Valley, which is mostly volcanic soils about nine miles northeast of Napa." 94 Points - Robert Parker (Wine Advocate)

3. Napa Wine Co. Zinfandel 2005, Score=2+

Color is nice garnet with nose of cedar and black pepper. Some also noted vegetable nose such as celery. Palate is bit one dimensional or watery but has nice firm tannin. Consensus was that this was new world; cab or cab blend may be cab+syrah from Australia. This was Zinfandel (Uncle-N brought Aussie Zinfandel last time and this time from Napa). Here is what “WE” said, “Classic Napa Zin. Showcases deliciously ripe blackberry and currant flavors accented with pepper, clove, anise, nutmeg and cinnamon, and a finish that goes on and on. The tannins are pure Oakville, ripe, sweet, thick and as fine as velvet." 93 Points - Wine Enthusiast

4. Frog's Leap Rutherford Cabernet 2002, score=2+~3

Nose has spices, tobacco, cedar overlying black cherry; the best nose so far. Palate is nice but restrained with predominantly black fruits with spices and cedar(which brought the comment from Piroca that they must have used American oak). Nice firm tannin but not too big. Cab, syrah, Spanish and Italian were mentioned (even Barboursville, Virginia was mentioned by Uncle-E, since I brought Virginia wines in the past and this one is bit restrained and not an usual highly extracted fruits bomb). This was Frog’s leap Rutherford Cabernet 2002 which is made of Cab Sauv 89% and cab frank 11%. This one was recommended by the “manga” wine critiques (please click the link to see NYT article) from Japan who were known to be “Francophile” (which Uncle-N happened to read).
The vineyard is organically managed. These were what have been described in NY times; “The prevailing style of Napa cabernet today emphasizes power, weight and extravagance, but Frog’s Leap is one of a small but significant number of cabernet producers that form a kind of alternate Napa universe. They are making wines of balance and restraint that are a direct link to Napa’s past, when wines like the Inglenook forged the region’s reputation as a source of great cabernet sauvignon wines. The Frog’s Leap wines are subtle and nuanced. Like the Inglenook they’re easy to drink with a meal and rewarding, especially for one who has despaired of finding Napa cabernets that are table wines, not jammy fruit bombs that overwhelm food. You don’t hear much about these sorts of wines today. Critics and consumer publications largely ignore them while reserving their highest scores for the sweet and plush set." - Eric Asimov -New York Times -The Pour

5. Oddero Barolo 1995, Score=1

What a gutsy move by Uncle-E. As soon as it was poured, everybody could see from 10 feet away, it was brown, light and transparent in color. Piroca immediately rejected this one but this still tasted like wine. No fruits were left but acid and tannin and some spices are left. We figured France or Italian but settled in to say that this was a Northern Italian wine like Borolo. This was 1995 (13 year old) Oddero Barolo. If this much tannin is left after 13 years of bottle aging, it must not have been drinkable in its young days. This reminded us of Guido Porro Barolo 2003 which we tasted on 11-30-07 and gave score=1. We may not appreciate traditional Borolos but we are at least consistent.

6. Domaine Galevan Chateauneuf du Pape 2005, Score=2

We were supposedly to stop here but Jimmy could not resist to bring this bottle out. Nose has pungent chemical or varnish smell. Palate has some sweetness with cherry fruits but bit thin. It ends with nice tannin and acidic kick. France was suggested. This happened to be Chateauneuf du Pape which was a surprise coming from Jimmy. Just for reminding us of the basics, here is a quote from Wikipedia, “Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an AOC in the southern Rhône wine region. Unlike its northern Rhône neighbors, Châteauneuf-du-Pape permits thirteen different varieties of grape, and the blend is usually predominantly Grenache. Other red grapes include Cinsault, Counoise, Mourvèdre, Muscardin, Syrah, Terret Noir, and Vaccarèse.”
Here is an expert review; “Bright ruby. Impressively complex aromas of red berry preserves, apricot, garrigue and white pepper. Supple red fruit flavors are complemented by dusty herbs and floral pastille. Picks up a subtle tannic bite on the finish, which echoes the red fruit and spice flavors. This is delicious now.” (Rated: 89 by Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 08)

7. Radio-Coteau Syrah Las Colinas 2004, Score=2+

To regain footing after serving a dirty dishwater wine, Uncle-E provided this. He personally poured this with two hands covering the label. It has a classic syrah nose. Nice palate of black fruits with vanilla, caramel and black pepper. Nice integrated tannin. We favored California Syrah as opposed to Aussie.
Here is the description; “as Colinas blends fruit from a selection of Syrah vineyards set in the hills surrounding the Bohemian Highway in western Sonoma County. As La Neblina does for Pinot Noir, Las Colinas brings elegance to the Syrah forum…..Wine maker notes: The nose already effuses classic aromas of cool climate pepper spice, blue and black fruits, and dried meat. The midpalate bursts with dark fruit and meaty flavors, and its chewy texture is tinged with bittersweet chocolate. The wine finishes with a rush of black pepper, blackberries and wet earth, displaying more complexity than you might expect at this young age. In short, the wine is drinking very well right now, though it will continue to evolve in the bottle for several years.”

We don’t know whether we are either so jaded or our usual venue is the culprit but none of the wines we taste seem as good as if we tasted them at home or in a different venue. Many of the wines we tasted should get 3s and 4s.