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”.