Wine Tasting on 4-25-09, Large and high quality

We had a wine tasting at Uncle-N and Lady-SEA’S house. Other attendees were Winepath (sans June-Bug who was sick and could not attend), Grasshopper and Lady-A, Jimmy, Piroca and Brother-M. We tasted 9 wonderful wines with homemade pizzas (Olive and artichoke hearts; Pork ragout; caramelized onion with pinoli and goat cheese; portabella mushroom in sherry) followed by Hickory smoked roasted chicken, roasted root vegetables, and sautéed Broccoli rabe with bacon and balsamic vinegar. The finale was a wonderful and elegant cake professionally made by Winepath (He can be a professional baker). Breads were a wonderful French Boule (also by Winepath) and lemon flavored corn bread (by Lady-SEA). This is meant to be just a record of what we drank and no scores are given. Wines people brought were all amazing and some were truly extravgant.

1. Go Figure Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

This was from “Gary’s Wine and Market place". Do not confuse with Gary V of Wine Library.

2005 GF Go Figure Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 3
If amazing deals on juice like this are a sign of the times, then viva la recession, friends! The 2005 vintage brought a little more quality Cabernet fruit than this Oakville winery was prepared to bottle under their own flagship label, so we were more than happy to swoop in and bottle the rest as our third exclusive bottling under the Go Figure label. Sourced from fifty-five acres of some of the most tightly spaced vines in California on some of the reddest, rockiest soil in Oakville, this wine is made from an impeccably-researched combination of the best clones from California and Bordeaux. A mild summer and fall in the 2005 vintage allowed for extensive hang-time and flavor development in the grapes without excessive sugar development. The result was classic cassis and rich red and black fruits on a rich palate. Look for bright red cherry and raspberry on the nose, along with a little cinnamon, allspice, and pine. A velvety mouthfeel shows just the right richness wi! thout being cloying, and solid structure and tannins make for a medium to long finish with a good dose of warm spice at the end.

2. Chateau Haut Brisson La Reserve 2005

This is the only entry from France this evening.

92 Points - Robert Parker (Wine Advocate)
"A brilliant sleeper of the vintage, this is a terrific effort from Haut-Brisson's new proprietor. The deep purple-colored 2005 La Reserve exhibits sweet black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with notes of cigar smoke, fruitcake, and cedar. Full-bodied with superb purity, good acidity, and ripe tannin, it should unfold gracefully over the next 5-6 years, and keep for 15+."

3. The Colonial Estate Etranger Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Wine Advocate

The 2006 Etranger Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the Greenock sub-region of Barossa and contains a bit of Shiraz. Purple-colored and slightly muted aromatically, notes of spice box, damp earth, mineral, and blackberry make an appearance. On the palate it has a supple texture and attractive flavors but lacks the depth and concentration for an outstanding rating. Score: 89. —Jay Miller, February 2009.

Wine Spectator

Ripe and open-textured, with dark cherry and spice flavors, weaving some savory herbal notes into the mix as the finish lingers gently. Drink now through 2014. Score: 89. —Harvey Steiman, December 31, 2008.

4. Colonial Estate Emigre Gsm 2005

94 Points - Jay Miller - The Wine Advocate

"There are 2000 cases of 2005 Emigre, a blend of six grape varieties sourced from a range of Barossa sites designed to reflect a "palate" of the Valley. The blocks were cropped at 1 ton of fruit per acre. The composition of the blend is 30% Shiraz, 30% Grenache, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Mourvedre, with the balance Carignan and Muscadelle. The wine was aged from 18-20 months in new French oak. It offers a complex aromatic array of smoky oak, damp earth, pencil lead, clove, pepper, cassis, and blueberry. Supple-textured and very intense, the wine exhibits spicy red and black fruits, with hints of mint and chocolate in the background. It is layered, opulent, and long while maintaining its elegant personality. Give it 5-7 years in the cellar and drink it through 2025."

5. Peter Michael Cabernet Sauvignon Les Pavots, 2002

Peter Michael Les Pavots... "Dense purple-colored with an extraordinary nose of melted licorice, white chocolate, creme de cassis, licorice, and incense, the wine hits the palate with a silky opulence, and marvelous, full-bodied power, but it is light on its feet, with great delineation, vibrancy, and freshness. Superb purity and a finish that goes on for 50+ seconds is the stuff of modern-day California legends. This beauty is already beginning to age well yet should last easily for 18-22 years." Robert Parker 98 points.

6. Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select, 2004

Rated 97 points by Robert Parker`s Wine Advocate: "One of the world`s, as well as Napa`s, most profound Cabernet Sauvignons is the 2,000 or so case production of Shafer`s Hillside Select. Made from their finest parcels in Stags Leap, the wine spends nearly 32 months in 100% new oak. This is a wine that usually has 20-30 years of aging potential. The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select is showing even better than it did last year. A much sexier, opulent, flamboyant style of wine with notes of black currant liqueur intermixed with toasty new oak, charcoal, smoke, barbecue spices, and oodles of fruit, this wine has fabulous richness in an exuberant, sexy style, and a long, heady layered finish with nothing out of balance. The integration of acidity, tannin, wood, and alcohol are brilliant. This is a great wine to drink over the next two decades, if not longer. One of Napa`s most prominent and respected wineries, Shafer is a poster boy for remarkable and consistent quality across the board. All of this is the work of the brilliant father and son team of John and Doug Shafer as well as their long-term winemaker and vineyard manager, Elias Fernandez. With over 200-plus acres of estate holdings, and 55 surrounding their winery in Stags Leap, this is a winery that never seems to disappoint.”

7. Harlan Estate, 2004

The 2004 Harlan Estate is probably the most precocious and accessible Harlan Estate that this perfectionist team has made. Already compelling, the wine has notes of roasted coffee, charcoal, blackberry, spring flowers, and some background sweet, toasty notes. Dense, fleshy, exuberant, even flamboyant by the standards of Bill Harlan, this wine exhibits no jaggedness or rough edges, has relatively high tannins, but they melt away on the palate. The wine is sensationally well-endowed, long, and rich – a tour de force in winemaking. 98 points - Robert Parker.

8. Bond The Matriarch, 2005

93 pts - Robert Parker
The lush, opulent, flamboyant 2005 Matriarch offers copious quantities of black cherry and black currant fruit, lead pencil, and earth. Already delicious, it hits just about every sweet spot on the palate. Enjoy it over the next 12-15+ years. This is a special project of Harlan Estate’s owner, Bill Harlan, that is handled by the same winemaking team as Harlan Estate’s, the inimitable Bob Levy assisted by the well-traveled, brilliant oenologist, Michel Rolland. They have 20-year leases on what they believe are some of the finest vineyard terroirs in Napa, from which they produce between 600-700+ cases of these single vineyard offerings from distinctive micro-climates. Anything produced that is not up to world-class quality is culled out and bottled under the name Matriarch. These wines see essentially the same upbringing as the Harlan Estate. They are bottled after at least 22 months of aging in 100% new French oak, and see virtually no fining or filtration. While each offering is completely different from its siblings, they all compete very favorably with Harlan Estate. The newest offering in the Bond portfolio, Quella, comes from a 10-acre vineyard in Spring Valley (located just off Howell Mountain Road) planted on the volcanic white ash called tufa, which contains plenty of cobblestones. The other cuvees include St. Eden (a valley floor vineyard in Oakville), Melbury (on Pritchard Hill overlooking Lake Hennessey), Vecina (a west-facing hillside site near Harlan Estate), and E Pluribus (a Spring Mountain vineyard west of the charming town of St. Helena). The lots culled out from the single vineyard wines are blended together to produce the Matriarch. This is not simply a second wine as nearly one-third of Bond’s (and Harlan Estate’s) production is sold off in bulk, which means the Matriarch is a serious effort on its own merits.

9. Vina Rubican Reserva Navarra 2003

Navarra, Spain- Offering fresh fruit with soft tannins, this Reserva is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Tempranillo. Aged for twelve months in oak, and an additional 24 months in the bottle, the nose is of fruit and oak. The structured palate that has a long finish.

FRIDAY NIGHT TASTINGS, April 24, 2009.

Present were: Uncles E, P, Jimmy, OZ and Winepath. Uncle N was absent. We tasted 4 wines tonight.
It is Haiku season again (it always is). Here is one by Kobayashi Issa, who lived in the early 18th century, had an eventful and sad life and had a great sense of humor. I think that wines can easily evoke an Haiku. Here it is:
"In this world, we walk on the roof of hell, gazing at flowers".
By the way, this has nothing to do with our first wine. It was thought to be too sweet, perhaps a zin; Uncle P thought that this was a French Bordeaux blend meant to be exported en masse to the clueless and unsuspecting Americans. Not so: it was Ravenswood, (to be exported to Europe, that is fine by me). It got an 1.5.

The best one tonight. It had to be a good calicab. We thought it to be a Larkmead or Ramey. Nice spicy nose, long beautiful lingering finish. A surprise: The Matriarch! Easily a 3+.

Third wine, offered as a potential xoxo.... It had a blue tinge-Uncle P thought it might be an Argentinian Malbec or a Grenache. Quite average nose, fairly uneventful wine. Uncle E liked this one. A Spanish amalgam, with garnacha, etc. Apparently it did well by RP. A 2?

Fourth wine to be tasted had a turbid appearance; an interesting nose, however, described as woodsy (oak-according to uncle P, sandalwood or frankincense according to Uncle winepath); quite aromatic. Interesting wine on the palate. No one could figure it out. We had this wine before: Washington state's Andrew Will. Winepath liked this wine, the others were not enthusiastic; a 2+ (at least).

Wine Tasting on 4-18-09, small but high-quality

This turned out to be a small tasting but also a high quality one. Present were Piroca, Jimmy, and Uncle-N. Winepath was in the Big Apple probably drinking overpriced wine at a restaurant. Uncle-E was MIA. Grasshopper was attending only vicariously and through text messaging.

1. Saggi 2004, Score =2+~(3)

This was contribution from Aunt-M. We were waiting for her to attend the tasting but we decided to taste this wine since she broke a leg recently and may not be able to attend the tasting for some time. We wish her quick and complete recovery. Her wine was good! Color is nicely dark and nose is pleasant with cherry, coffee and flowery note. Palate is definitely fruits forward in a New World style. Vanilla laced with spice box and well integrated smooth tannin and reasonably long finish. Consensus was California probably Cab blend but floral note made us think that Merlot could be a major component. This was a surprise. Saggi 2004 is from Columbia Valley, Washington state. It is a small production (633 cases) super Tuscan from Washington state (if such a thing exists) and made of 35% Sangiovese 35% Cabernet Sauvignon 16% Syrah, 14% Barbera. RP gave 92. Here is the description from the winery.

winemaker's notes:
“Among Tuscany's oldest and most prestigious wine families, Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari (father and son) teamed with Allen Shoup to produce a wine that is true to Washington's terrior with plenty of Italian character. Saggi (meaning "wisdom") is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah varieties, selected from the Columbia Valley's best vineyards.”

2. Turnbull Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2005, Score=2+~3

Color is nice dark garnet. Nose is bit closed but some mint, black cherry and vanilla coming through. Palate has somewhat muted fruits upfront but layers of subtle black fruits are there with chocolate and mocha leading to firm well constructed tannin and nice lasting finish. We thought that this was a New World Bordeaux. Nice wine. This turned out to be Turnbull Cab.

91 points Connoisseurs Guide: "Despite its wealth of rich oak and its tantalizing touches of root beer, cocoa and cream, this keenly defined opus is very specific in its deep Cabernet fruit, and its strong themes of ripe currants stay the course from beginning to end. It is an especially well-polished wine on the palate and its very trim tannins allow its concentrated fruit to shine through, but, its present temptations noted, it is impeccably balanced and promises to get better and better for a good many years." (04/08) Also got 90 points from Wine Spectator: "Ripe and fleshy, with generous plum, black cherry and red cherry fruit that's intense and complex without being too powerful or overblown. Ends with firm, fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2012." (06/08)

3. Bond St. Eden 2005, Score=3+~4

Color is dark and nice. Nose is probably the most complex among the three wines we tasted with mint, cedar, faint hint of tar and leather. Piroca also detected subtle floral/perfume described as “my aunt’s dresser”. Palate is very nice with layers of well balanced black fruits upfront leading to well intergraded but firm tannin. Extremely long finish (you are tasting this wine for a full 1 minute after). Our consensus is that this is a well-crafted California Bordeaux blend. We were surprised and impressed when the cover was lifted. Bond St. Eden 2005. RP 96. Here is some background just in case:

“In his ongoing quest to produce world class wine in the tradition of 1st Growth Bordeaux, Bill Harlan - of Harlan Estate fame - started Bond to create single vineyard wines from sources meeting his high growing standards. Winemaker Robert Levy produces 4 vineyard designate wines: Melbury, St. Eden, Vecina and Pluribus, as well as a blend called The Matriarch. Levy's goal is for each wine to take on the unique expression of its vineyard site and Bill Harlan's ultimate plan is to produce wines from a total of 6 unique vineyards. The wines are known for their lush, deeply concentrated flavors, and their elegance and finesse, which Bill and Robert feel define them as the "Grand Crus" of Napa. Fewer than 1,500 cases of the Matriarch, and between 400 and 700 cases of the vineyard designates are produced annually. “

Wine Tasting on 4-10-09, Good Friday/Passover

Present were diehard core members; Piroca, Winepath, and Uncle-N on Good Friday and Passover. We had small tasting and we tasted 3 wines. We blind tasted 2 wines. In addition, Piroca just received Buccella 06 Cabernet and generously shared this.

1. Domaine Le Murmurium "Opera" Cotes du Ventoux 2003, Score =2+

Color is bit light but nice dark ruby. Nose is pleasant with no funk, cherry and floral notes. Palate has red fruits upfront, bit thin mid palate leading to mild well-integrated tannin. There is sharp acidic finish, which detracts from this otherwise nice wine. We thought Rhone or Rhone blend but could not rule out Pinot (may be from Washington state). Knowing the price this one has a high PQR.

Robert Parker 91-93
"The 2003 Cotes du Ventoux Cuvee Opera (an 85% Grenache/15% Syrah produced from 15 hectoliters per hectare) is an amazing wine of great density, richness, and full-bodied potency. Sadly, there are only 4,000 bottles of this beauty, which tastes like a top-flight Chateauneuf du Pape. Enormously impressive, it admirably demonstrates the potential of this appellation’s clay and limestone soils. It should drink well for 7-8 years. "

2. Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=3

Surprise find! No complaints for the color, nicely dark. Nose has pleasant earthiness with chocolate and vanilla. Palate is also very pleasant. This is no fruits bomb and taste bit austere but nice black fruits upfront (black cherry) with plum, vanilla, chocolate and espresso ending in nice firm but not too assertive tannin. Nice long finish follows. All of us liked this. This was brought out since we tasted “Sonoma” version of Cab in the last tasting, which Uncle-N confused with this one. We think Napa version is much better. Again a high PQR wine. Ghost pine (tasted on 2-30-09) is also made by Louis Martini in collaboration with Gallo. Ghost pine is a nice everyday wine with more fruits upfront but if you compare, Ghost pine is a much simpler wine. We like this cab better.
Bit about the winery;

“The founder of this stalwart, family-operated winery, Louis M. Martini, weathered Prohibition in the 1930's by producing sacramental wine and selling "home winemaking kits." In 2002, facing tons of crushing, well-funded competition in Napa cab land, the family sold to Gallo Family Vineyards. Now with access to more fruit and resources, they've crafted this gorgeous, well-balanced cabernet with bright cherry, a splash of vanilla, fragrant cedar, supple tannins, figs and bittersweet chocolate. Not a fruit bomb - easily enjoyed with food with well-integrated acidity.”
“The Louis M. Martini Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits a deep garnet, color with intense aromas of cedary oak, currents and black cherries. Concentrated flavors of ripe plums, chocolate and tobacco marry perfectly with the oak nuances. A well structured wine that is balanced with firm, velvety tannins that culminate in a long, elegant finish. This wine is ready to enjoy now or can be aged 3-5 years”.

3. Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Score=3+~(4)

Color is very dark, almost black with purple tinge on the rim. Leg is quite something indicative of high glycerin content. Nose is wonderful with some rubber (inner tube of a bicycle), smoke components with floral note (violet). Palate is also very nice with complex fruits, mostly black fruits, up front with nice smooth mouth feels. Tannin is very big which is a detraction at this point. Decanting and bottle aging will improve this young, highly extracted, highly concentrated and highly oaked wine. One of these days when we retire, hope we can do vertical tasting of Buccella after some years of bottle aging. Wine maker is Chris Justin and for 06, we understand, Celia Masyczek (Scarecrow fame) was a consultant wine maker.

Wine Tasting on 4-3-09

Present were Piroca, Winepath, Jimmy, Uncle-N and a late guest appearance of Uncle-OZ. Uncle-E was absent due to his parents’ visit. We blind tasted 6 wines; all of them quite drinkable with two above the rest.

1. Peachy Canyon Old School House Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=2+

Color is bit light. Nose is pleasant with no funk and with cherry. Palate is fruits forward with raspberry, vanilla and coffee which lead to rather mild tannin and acidic finish. Mid-palate is bit thin. Although pleasant to drink, this one is not complex. Pinot was mentioned but the bottle shape ruled that out. Rhone varietals (some not well known regions between Rhone and Province??) and Tempranillo (Spain) were mentioned. This one is actually from Paso Robles, Peachy Canyon Old School House Cabernet Sauvignon 2005. This winery was started by Doug and Nancy Beckett, a couple of school teachers looking for a better life, moved to Paso Robles in 1982. This cab appears to contain a small amount of Petit Verdot.

91 Points - Gary Vaynerchuk (which is overrated in our opinion)
“I was lucky enough to try this wine at the Boston wine expo with the Beckett family and I was completely blown away by the effort they put into the "Old School House" Cab. Not only is this one of the better $20 Cabernet wines I have tried from the 05 vintage but we were able to get this wine down to the price we wanted, as it was sold for $35 in the tasting room. The obvious and amazing Blueberry flavor this wine delivers almost makes you think you are eating pie and the cedar and earth tones on the finish make you realize you aren't drinking flabby juice. A big time effort for a house that is normally known for Zinfandel, kudos to the Beckett's for making one of our favorite wines of the year."-Gary Vaynerchuk

"Deep, dark ruby color, big tannins. Hints of blade currant, cassis and blackberries, This Cab is very round, floral and has superb aging capability, therefore, this wine will soften with time." -Winery

2. Clos Des Andes Malbec 2005, Score=2+

Color is dark but no blue hue we can recognize. Nose is bit pungent with graphite (pencil shaving), asphalt and black pepper but no funk. Palate is definitely fruit forward with smoky note (roasted raisins as per Winepath, I do not know how many people actually ”roasted” raisins but he apparently has) ending in rather assertive tannin. Australia cab blend, Spanish (again) and possible Zin were mentioned. This is 100% Malbec from Argentina. We are again not sure we rate this 91, probably more like 88.

91 Points - Jay Miller - The Wine Advocate
"The 2005 Clos des Andes is 100% Malbec sourced from an 80 year old vineyard in the Lujan de Cuyo region of Mendoza. The wine was 50% barrel fermented and was aged for 12 months in 50% new and 50% 1 year French oak. Inky purple in color, the wine has a lovely bouquet of wood smoke, cedar, violets, blueberry, and black cherry. Firm and well-balanced, it has superb depth, sweet, fruit, and a lengthy finish. Give it 3-4 years to evolve and drink it through 2025. A barrel sample of the 2006 (both 2005 and 2006 are generally regarded as great vintages) was equally promising and age-worthy."

3. Francis Coppola / Niebaum-Coppola Claret Diamond Series 2007, Score=2+

Color is dark and nice. Nose has no funk but some spices, black pepper and cigar notes. Upfront feels bit austere like Bordeaux (but we thought this was a New World wine) leading to big tannin, which is bit bitter and gives an impression of “heavy” wine. Cali Cab, Cab blend was mentioned. Cab and Malbec blend from Argentina was also mentioned. This was 2007 Coppola’s Bordeaux blend. As per the winery;

“Blend 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, 4% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc, Alcohol 13.7%, Total Acid .58, pH 3.73, Barrel Regimen 16 months in French oak, Released January, 2009”. “The 2007 vintage got underway earlier than most years as a result of premature bud break. This occurred because of an unseasonably warm winter. The season lasted longer than normal as well because of prolonged moderate temperatures. These conditions were ideal for creating physiologically perfect fruit, which is why winemakers have declared this one of the best vintages of the decade.”

4. Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Score=2+

Color is dark. Nose has nice cherry aroma without funk. Palate is fruit forward (mostly black fruits) with vanilla and chocolate and mild tannin. It tasted like Cali Cab. This is nothing extraordinary but very nice wine. This turned out to be Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon. We mentioned before in this blog about Ghost pine that this old winery was bought out by Gallo. Louis Marini also makes Cab from Napa, which Uncle-N has confused with this one but this one is from Sonoma.

"The Louis M. Martini Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon was made to highlight the high quality of its fruit. It offers aromas of red cherry and blackberry that are supported by a round, sweet mouth feel with just enough structure to lead it into a fruit-focused finish." -Winery

5. Harlan The Maiden Napa Valley Red Wine 2005, Score=3+~4

Nice dark color with hint of brown tinge in the rim. Nose is nice with distinctive spices especially cinnamon with lilac, acacia flower and lavender aromas. Upfront there are lots and lots of complex fruits mostly black fruits, black cherry, blueberry, blackberry etc. Highly oaked taste with vanilla, chocolate but nose of cinnamon follows you all the way. Nice big but smooth tannin and long finish. This has to be a well crafted highly oaked and extracted Cali Cab was our consensus. This turned out to be Harlan 2005 The Maiden. At least we all picked this is best in the tasting although we cannot identify.

WA 93pts. - “Harlan’s second wine, The Maiden, is marvelous in 2005. Ripe, opulent fruit and notes of unsmoked high class cigar tobacco intermixed with creme de cassis, coffee, and asphalt are present in this round, superbly textured, rich, full-bodied, silky, beautifully wrought wine. It will drink well for 15+ years.”

I guess “unsmoked” cigar means “unlit”.

6. Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot 2005, Score=3+

Color is dark and nice. Nose has nice fruits with chocolate, vanilla and Crème brûlée, probably the best nose in the tasting. Palate is also nice with nice forward fruits and vanilla chocolate ending in nice integrated tannin. We thought this again as Cali Cab but this was Pride Merlot 05. We liked this very much. Prioca usually can identify Merlot but not this time (until it was uncovered of course).

Wine Spectator “Rich and concentrated, with bold aromas of plum, currant and mocha leading to complex, layered blackberry, licorice and spice flavors that finish with a flourish of ripe, minerally tannins. Drink now through 2012. 4,913 cases made. Score: 93. —James Laube, November 15, 2007”.

Wine Advocate “The superb 2005 Merlot, a blend of fruit from Napa (70%) and Sonoma (30%), exhibits sweet plum and black currant fruit intermixed with mocha, coffee, and earth notes. This medium to full-bodied, elegant, lush, heady wine begs for consumption over the next 7-8 years. Score: 91. —Robert Parker, December 2007”.