Wine tasting on August 28, 2009

All our regualr uncles were here. Unlces E and N, Jimmy, Winepah and Piroca and everbody were sort of on time for change. We blind tasted 7 wines; all interesting and quite diverse.

1. Domaine Famille Ligneres Montagne d'Alaric "Notre Dame" 2004, Score=2+

Nice dark ruby color. Nose has some metalic or mineral note (iron) with dark plum and cedar. Initially, nobody detected any funk in the nose but later coming back to this wine, some sensed slight funk in the nose. Nice black fruit and plum upfront ending in mild tannin and dried flower after taste. Some felt fruit was a bit too sweet. Most felt this is made in New World style. Grenache was first mentioned (with a comment "but this is not Rhone, could be Spanish"). Could this be Italian, Barbaresco? May be California either Grenache or Syrah or combination? Even French? This turned out to be mostly Syrah (5% MOURVEDRE) from Southern France, Montagne d’Alaric. We liked this wine.

Jonathan Newman - 92/100!

"This delicious single-vineyard Syrah is a fine example of what can result when an Old World producer invests in upgrading their winemaking equipment, while maintaining their commitment to traditional hands-on viticulture. In the latter part of the 1990s, they made a commitment to show that the wines of the Corbieres region are of world-class quality. Chioccioli helped develop a pioneering tank-transfer system that ensures that the grapes are handled gently throughout the winemaking process. After being fermented in stainless steel tanks, this wine was aged for 16 months in 100% new French oak. Chioccioli stirred the lees every week to give it a pleasingly round mouthfeel. This is a big, beautiful Syrah; try it with red meat."

2. Valderiz Ribera Del Duero 2003, Score=2+

(I was called out when this wine and wine 3 were tasted Winepath took notes. I tasted it later and this is my best re-construction effort of what the others said).

Nose has no funk with fruit and minerals. Upfront dark fruit especially black cherry, plum and black berry leading to a bit of "mouth puckering" big tannin. Short finish but with olive after taste. Italian, Fench and Spanish were mentioned. Cab? Unlce-E liked this one. This is from Spain, Ribera Del Duero and is Temperanillo.

"With concentration and polish, this plush red delivers ripe, fresh fruit flavors of black cherry and boysenberry, with notes of toast, coffee, mineral and anise. The tannins are big but well-integrated. A modern style. Drink now through 2015. 4,000 cases made. - TM" 91 Points - Wine Spectator

"Round, meaty, colorful and full of oak, chocolate and ripe fruit aromas. The palate is big and broad, with plum and boysenberry leading the troops. The mouthfeel deals some choppy tannins but all in all the wine has the right stuff, meaning it tastes fairly regal and offers a well-rounded feel." 90 Points - Wine Enthusiast

3. Mastroberardino Taurasi Radici 2004, Score=2+~3

Nose is a bit muted but no funk and with cedar. Palate upfront has some muted but good fruit, plum and black fruit, with "burned cloth" (by Uncle-P), smoky mint with thyme and oregano leading to relatively mild tannin. Some felt there was acidic kick at the end. Consensus was this was made in Old World, specifically Italy. Nabiolo and Brunello were mentioned as a possible varietals. This was indeed from Italy but the grape was 100% Aglianico. This is much better than the one we tasted in the past.

I could not find any scores by wine critiques for 04 but 03 appears much cheaper and got 90 from RP.

90 points Robert Parker "The estate's 2003 Taurasi is an excellent choice for readers looking for a wine that is ready to drink. It offers an intriguing array of sweet dark fruit, smoke and dried, cured meats with an attractive, plump personality. This is a fairly approachable style of Taurasi with outstanding length and fine overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020. Mastroberardino is one of the most famous properties in Campania. The estate's legendary Taurasi Riservas of the 1960s set an early benchmark for quality in the region. Amazingly, those early wines are still in great shape." (02/08)

4. ARROCAL SELECCION RIBERA DEL DUERO 2004, Score=2+

Nose has mineral and dusty note (some said cigarette ashes). Palate is nice with upfront sweet fruit and nice well-integrated tannin. We all thought this was Califronia Cab especially since this was offered from Winpath as he just came back from Napa and he hinted that this was Cali cab (which was all misleading). We are all completely wrong (again). This is another Ribera del Duero wine and made 100% of Temperanillo. There is a blog entry (which is much more professional and he appears to know wines, not like us) about this wine.

Wine Advocate 91; "The 2004 Arrocal Seleccion is 100% Tempranillo aged for 15 months in French and American oak and bottled without filtration. The wine has a very expressive nose of pain grille, spice box, black currants, and blackberry liqueur. This is followed by a youthful, slightly reticent, tightly knit wine encapsulated in a full-bodied personality. The wine is well structured for the long-term and merits 2-4 years of cellaring. It should provide pleasure through 2020."
Issue 169, February '07

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar 91; "Bright violet. Vibrant, perfumed scents of expansive blackberry, cassis, rose and graphite. Focused, pure dark berry flavors are brightened by brisk mineral and floral pastille qualities. The wine's fine-grained tannins do not detract from its sweet, vivid fruit. Great verve here".
Issue 133, July/Aug '07

International Wine Review 91; "The delicious 2004 Selección displays a dark ruby purple color with aromas of plums, cassis, cedar, tea and tobacco. On the palate it shows good concentration of black raspberry and cassis, cedar in the background and a long satisfying finish." Issue 8, September '07

5. Barnett Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, score=2+

Color is nicely dark with nose of black fruit with spices and dusty minerals. Palate is totally New World with upfront jammy sweet black fruit with oak derived flavors leading to nicely integrated tannin. Only complaint was relatively short finish. Our consensus was this is Napa Cab. This is a nice contribution from Jimmy. We visited Barnett Vineyard in '08. We loved the view at the top of Spring Mountain. This one is their classic cab made from their "mountain" fruit.

From the mountain top deck of the Barnett Vineyard

Winemaker Notes - 'The goal in making our Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon is to produce a wine that is an expression of Spring Mountain as a whole, rather than an expression of our Estate Vineyards alone. Thus for many years we have sourced fruit from some of the finest vineyards in the higher elevations of the Mountain to produce this wine. The Spring Mountain Cabernet consists of components from our Estate Vineyards, Crowley Vineyard, and York Creek Vineyard as well as some fruit from Spring Mountain Vineyards. We are fortunate that our neighbors who so diligently farm these properties support our concept and share a small portion of this wonderful fruit with us on an annual basis. The wine is aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (60% new & 40% once used). The blend for our Spring Mountain District Cabernet Sauvignon changes with each vintage to include portions of Spring Mountain Merlot, Cabernet Franc or Petit Verdot. The blending decision takes place approximately one month before bottling and can vary widely in proportion. For example, the 2001 vintage contained 8% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2002 vintage 16% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, and the 2003 vintage was composed of 3% Cabernet Franc and 1.5% Petit Verdot."

6. Chateau Sainte Colombe, Côtes d'Castillon 2005, Score=1+

Nose has "spider web on English Box wood" (by Winepath) but otherwise lacking not even funk. Palate is austere and simple ending in resonable tannin. Our consensus was young inexpensive Bordeaux (Uncle-E is now into "value' wines but he has not been sucessful). We were not impressed.


According to Robert Parker: "One of the least expensive wines from Gerard Perse’s three Cotes de Castillon estates, the 2005 Ste-Colombe is unquestionably the softest and most immediately accessible. Its dark ruby color is followed by a concoction of ripe, sweet black currant and cherry fruit, incense, spring flowers, and spice. Drink this richly fruity 2005 over the next 4-5 years." (08/08)

According to Stephan Tanzer's International Wine Cellar: "Medium-deep red. Black cherry, licorice and a minty nuance on the nose. Juicy, penetrating and youthful, with good density and power. The wine's substantial tannins will require at least a few years of patience." (May/June 07)

7. Chateau Beaulieu Comtes de Tastes 2005, Score=1

Scored the same as wine 6 with the addition of a minus. There was some funk in the nose and nothing else. Austere, simple, and very tannic. Our consensus was inexpensive Bordeaux.