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.