Wine Tasting on 5-1-09

It is already May and this turned out to be a small but interesting tasting. By coincidence, we blind tasted “Larkin” (father) and “Jack Larkin" (Son) Cab side by side. Present were Winepath, jimmy, Piroca, and Uncle N and a guest appearance by Lady-SEA. We tasted 5 wines but “GF” cab was the one and same from the previous tasting.

1. Glaymond Grenache Gerhard 2003, score=2~2+

Color is brown, either old or oxidized. Nose has minerals but alcoholic despite the fact it was served at the proper temperature. Upfront, there are mixed sweet red fruits especially raspberry, also plum, leading to well-integrated mild tannin and citrus kick. Very hot or alcoholic in the back end. After some aeration, the nose became a bit medicinal and the palate bit grapey. Some liked this wine and some did not. This is Glaymond Grenache 03 with alcohol content of 17.2%!!! We have never encountered a wine with this high an alcohol content. We are not sure if this wine was not properly stored (Piroca bought this at Addy Bassin) or this is how this wine is meant to be.

91 Points - Robert Parker (Wine Advocate)
"The 2003 Grenache Gerhard, which could pass for an Australian version of the eminent Henri Bonneau's Reserve des Celestins Chateauneuf du Pape, comes from 41-year-old vines. It is an enormously full-bodied, powerful offering with head-spinning levels of alcohol as well as a fascinating perfume of new saddle leather, plums, figs, cherry liqueur, melted licorice, roasted meats, and dried herbs. This huge, savory, fleshy, soft, velvety-textured red is a terrific expression of old vine Grenache. While it may be controversial, for true hedonists, it will be a wine of exquisite pleasure. Drink it over the next 5-7 years."

2. Jack Larkin Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=3

Color is nice dark red/garnet. Nose has slight earthiness but bit closed. Palate is loaded with good black fruits with usual suspects of vanilla and caramel leading to firm tannin. This tastes like a classic Cali Cab. We met with both Father Larkin (who was drinking beer), Son Jack and his wife and baby at the last year’s barrel tasting. So happened Piroca brought this and Uncle N brought “Larkin” Cab (see #4 below).

Here is some info:
“The second release of Jack Larkin is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced solely from the rugged earth of Pritchard Hill's Melanson Vineyard. Meticulously farmed by John Arns, this vineyard is set along a boulder-strewn hillside with distinct southern and western exposures nearly 1200 feet above the valley floor.”

“From a vineyard overlooking Lake Hennessy on Pritchard Hill, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits a black/ruby/purple color as well as sweet aromas of charcoal, acacia flowers, blue and blackberries, and subtle smoky oak. With full body, beautiful purity and density, and a long finish revealing well-concealed tannin, it will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, and should keep for two decades. Score: 92.” —Robert Parker, December 2007.

3. Go Figure Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=3

Uncle N brought this for the second time (please see the 4-24-09 tasting blog) with the Larkin 05 Cab. The thinking was: “GF” is from Oakville area so it might be Larkin--Let's compare them side-by-side. Actually, everyone thought that this wine is very similar to “Jack Larkin” and also similar to “Larkin”. We obviously do not know if GF 05 cab is from Larkin but the difference among these three wines is very subtle.








4. Larkin Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=3

Again, this wine is similar to GF and “Jack Larkin”. Some noted spices especially Rosemary and bit more pronounced bitter edge in the back end.
Wine Advocate, December 200, Rating: 91+ points
"A dense, burly, muscular effort is the dark purple-colored 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. Full-bodied with plenty of fruit, structure, tannin, and potential, it should be cellared for 2-3 years, and consumed over the following two decades." -Robert Parker




5. Viña Cobos "Felino" Cabernet Sauvignon, 2007, Score=3

This wine is also not much different from the last three. Nose has minerals but it tasted like well made California Cab. Since Winepath left the bronze colored foil on the bottle, some mentioned “Oh, Is this Cobos?, It may have “Cocodrilo” on the label etc. We may not be able to tell one wine from the other by taste but we can tell by the shape, weight, color of the bottle and color of the foil. In short, we use all the information we can gather to impress others. We have tasted Cobos Malbec (04), El Felino Malbec (06), and Cocodrilo cab (06) in the past.

91 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The purple-colored 2007 Felino Cabernet Sauvignon offers up spicy black currants and blackberry. Smooth-textured and layered, it has excellent balance and a lengthy, pure finish. It’s hard to think of a better value in Cabernet Sauvignon. Vina Cobos is Paul Hobbs’ winery in Mendoza. He is better known (at least for the moment) to USA connoisseur/collectors for his namesake winery in Napa Valley which has received many accolades (including 100-point scores from Robert Parker) for its Cabernets, Pinot Noirs, and Chardonnays. What is less well known is that Hobbs is a pioneer in fine wine production in Argentina, having started there in 1988 with Nicolas Catena. Senor Catena gives Hobbs much credit for the success of Catena-Zapata’s Chardonnay program. He has since extended his consulting efforts both in Argentina and Chile but the capstone of Hobbs’ work is Vina Cobos which began in 1998 and moved into its own winery facility in 2007." (Dec. 2008)