Wine tasting on December 18, 2009

This was a remarkable tasting. All core members were present. Winepath, Jimmy, Piroca and Uncles E and N. We tasted 7 good wines , except for one, all from North America. Some are quite old which came out of Uncle-E's library collection (or he realized they are off peak and downhill???). This could be this year's last tasting and it is fitting.

1. Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Score=3+

Color is nice dark garnet. Nose has lots of ripe fruit, dark chocolate. Palate explodes with lots of fruit especially chocolate covered black cherry. The fruit may taste a bit sweet. Nice balance between well-integrated tannin and acidity providing a good structure. Good lasting finish. Everybody like this clearly New World wine. California Cab is the consensus. This is 2 years in making. Uncle-N signed up 2 years ago and finally the wine arrived. This is a Winelibrary's Gary Vaynachuck community involved project and the wine was made at Crushpad with some inputs and participation from those who signed up for this project. The participants received many email updates of the different steps of the wine making. Althouhg Uncle-N was rather passive--participants could be involved with the wine making in person and through a web cam for the most important steps. You could buy this bottle from Winelibrary, although it is more expensive as compared to 2 years ago.

"Vayniac Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 is the first-ever truly community-made wine. Sourced from premium Napa fruit, its realization in the bottle stands as testament to the passion and hard work of wine lovers worldwide who contributed to this project over a period of 2 years.

Everything about the wine, right down to this label, was community driven. Some chimed in with input from afar, others got dirty working the crush, and a select few were able to participate in the final blending.

We're proud of this wine and all that it embodies: Family, togetherness, even a little rebelliousness. In addition, it's flat out delicious!

The Final Blend: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon from Suscol Bench (24.9%), Young Inglewood (24.9%), Godspeed (16.6%), and Carrefour (16.6%) Vineyards. 10% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 3% Cabernet Franc."

2. Bodega Colome Amalaya 2007, score=2+~3

Color is dark with a slight brownish tint. Nose has slight funk,  tar and smoke. Palate has lots of sweet fruit leading to mild tannin. Bit oaky but we liked this wine. Some thought this was too oaked. Some thought it has a Garnacha component. Winepath intially believed that this was Bordeaux but later retracted. Consensus was that this was a New World wine. Spain, California, Australia were memtioned.  Cab, Cab blends, and Cab Merlot blend were also mentioned and the final opinion was that this is probably Cali Cab.

This is from Argentina (Marbec cab blend). We liked this wine. Some did not like the nose but many did not mind or rather like the nose.

winemaker's notes:
"This wine is produced from the fruit of Argentina's signature grape, Malbec, with a smaller percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tannat. Deep red, with purple tinges, this wine offers red fruit aromas of cherries and raspberries, with a subtle hint of vanilla".

Wine Spectator 91 Points:
"Dark, with a core of crushed currant and plum fruit laced with black tea, hoisin sauce and a snappy mineral streak. Ripe, but not overblown, with a racy finish that lets sweet earth and licorice snap notes add length. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Tannat. Drink now through 2010. 15,000 cases made. "

3. Stag's Leap Wine Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon 1997, Score=2+

Color is dark brown indicating some age. Nose has medicinal or somewhat chemical  with some funk and herbaceous notes. Very complex nose but we are not sure this is a very good nose. It was too cold initially and palate felt very muted but after it was warmed up some nice black fruit started coming through. Still it is rather muted. Nice well-structured tannin but it has a bit of bitter taste or a finishing bite. We thought this is European such as Italian or even French (Bordeaux).  It was surprising to see that this is Stag's leap S.L.V.  1997. For the age of this wine, tannin was still rather assertive and we can imagine that  when this was young, tannin must have been rather big. To our taste, fruit was too far gone.

Winemakers Notes
"Planted by the Warren Winiarski Family in 1970, S.L.V. achieved international fame when the very first harvest at the winery in 1973 produced a wine that" astounded the wine world by triumphing over some of France's greatest wines in a 1976 blind tasting in Paris, now commonly referred to as the “Judgement of Paris"." Thirty vintages later, S.L.V. continues to yield wines of classic elegance and structure.
Alluring aromas of cocoa powder and black cherry evolve alongside pretty floral tones and a hint of smoke. Flavors of chocolate, raspberry, and black cherry coat the mouth with a light touch of cedar and truffles that weave through the multi-layered structure for which S.L.V. is renowned. Time will take this wine to even greater heights, but it can be enjoyed now for those who appreciate the robust quality of its fruit."

4. Pride Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 1993, score=2

Color is dark brown, again, indicating the age. Nose has a slight medicinal quality but otherwise a bit muted. Palate is again starts with muted fruit, especially at the beginig since it was too cold. Tannin was moderate but had some acidic kick in the finish. This wine felt bit flat in the mid palate. We mumbled "European", "Old World" etc but Winepath decisively said Cali Cab 1992! He was right, this was an old 1993 Pride Cab. Again, it had passed its peak. It lost most of the good fruit and the tannin structures did not allow aging this long.

We welcome releases from uncle-E's  library collection. We assumed European because of the wine and who brought it but Winepath somehow knew this is old Cali Cab.

Pride web site has listing to 1996 but not 1993. We all visited Pride and like their cab.


5. Stag's leap Cabernet Sauvignon, THE LEAP 2005, Score=2+

Color is dark garnet without any brown color. Nose has burned caramel but is nice. Palate is front loaded with good black fruit. Smooth mouth feel with buttery feel.  Mid-Palate is a bit thin leading to rather mild tannin. We all felt this is Califronia Cabernet. This happens to be another cab from Stag's leap but a much younger vintage.

Wine maker's note:
"Erosion from the Stags Leap Palisades is the source of the volcanic soil acknowledged as a contributing factor to the modern reputation for Cabernet Sauvignon in the Stags Leap District. Everything we know and love about winegrowing, our understanding of the gift of terroir, we bring to focus on this variety. The result is a classic, well-balanced Cabernet that takes full advantage of this prime location—luscious and velvety. The wine supports a complex structure with earthy aromatics and spice notes in a long finish."


6. Columbia Crest  Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2006, Score=2+

Color is nice dark garnet to brown. Nose has tons of vanilla. Palate upfront has lots of fruit, a massive amount  of vanilla, some spice box especially cinnamon leading to good firm tannin. Some may feel that there is  too much vanilla in this wine. We like it. Our consensus was California Cab.

This is from Washington state.

Winemaker Notes:
"The intense fruit in this Cabernet Sauvignon does not deter from the aromatics of chocolate cherry and slight mint, which precede a palate of cocoa and black cherry flavors. This is an elegant, complex wine that culminates in the perfect balance of wood and fruit on the lingering finish. While the 2006 remains unrated, the 2005 received 95 points in the Wine Spectator."




7. Caymus Special Selection 2007, Score=3+~4

Color is dark purple and garnet. Nose is very nice ( best in the today's tasting) with coffee, caramel, and dark chocolate. Palate is loaded with dark fruit upfront, nice vanilla, chocolate lingers and leading to good firm tannin. Long finish. There is no doubt this is a high-end California Cab. Knowing Piroca's track record, Caymus special selection was suggested. The only question was which year. This is the newest vintage 2007 which he just received. Some may think this is over the top but most of us really liked this wine.

winemaker's notes:
"The rich, deep ruby color reflects the magnificent depth this wine has to offer. Lush aromas of ripe black currant, black cherry and cedary oak add luxurious notes to the intense core flavors of fully ripe cassis, wild red berry, mocha and light vanilla. Polished tannins, a full-bodied mouthfeel and velvety texture weave seamlessly to support these vivid fruit impressions to the end."