Wine Tasting of January 2

We had a small tasting. Present were Jimmy, Piroca and Uncle-N. Winepath is out of town and Uncle-E is M.I.A. We blind tasted 3 OK but not great wines and as a reference wine we also tasted Caymus Special selection 2007.

1. Bodegas Arrocal Ribera del Duero 2006, Score=2+

Color is dark with purple tinge at the rim. Nose was initially a bit closed but later opened up with jammy red fruit, cedar and toasted oak but no funk. There is a black pepper note as well. Palate is a bit muted but mostly black fruit, mid-palate is a bit flat leading to moderate tannin. Because of the jammy red fruit nose and bit of peppery nose, our tasters thought this could contain granache and/or syrah. Consensus was young new world-style wine and Spain and California were mentioned. Indeed this is from Ribera Del Duero, Spain and is made of 100% Tinto Fino (Tempranillo).

 90 Points by Stephen Tanzer. Issue 133, July/Aug '07

"Opaque ruby. Potent mulberry and blueberry aromas expand seductively, picking up baking spice and floral qualities. Suave, silky and impressively pure, with vibrant dark berry flavors saved from the brink of jamminess by bright acidity and fine-grained tannins. Impressively juicy and persistent, with excellent palate saturation and clarity."

"Grapes: 100% Tinto Fino
Vintage: 2006
Color: Red
Produced from estate grown vines, gravity drives all movements of must/wine to minimize hard tannins. Grapes are hand harvested, destemmed but not crushed, macerated for 10 days in temperature controlled tanks followed by aging in new and 1 year old, 50% French and 50% American oak barrels for 6 months. Bottled without filtration after a gentle egg-white fining."

2. CrauforD Wine Co. Maroon Vineyard Tattoo Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=2+~3

It came in a short body builder bottle. Color is dark garnet. Nose is pleasant enough but very faint musty funky note was detected. Palate is more fruit loaded than Arrocal with black fruit laced with dark chocolate leading to good firm tannin. Relatively long finish. Our tasters thought this was California Cab., not bad but lacking complexity and needing something more. We tasted 2003 vintage of the same wine before and gave a score=3.

94 points by Jonathan Newman
"I have now tasted the previous five vintages of Crauford Cabernet and the 2005 is their best effort yet. While the 2004 was certainly a benchmark vintage for this boutique Napa producer, this new release of single vineyard mountain fruit has great depth and complexity and is certainly worthy. On the nose, there is fresh black currants, rich oak and mocha flavors. The wine has a pleasant mouth feel with well integrated tannins, blackberry, licorice, and cassis with a nice long finish. It will pair perfectly with lamb, game meats flavorful steaks or dark chocolate. The wine drinks beautifully now but can be enjoyed through 2016. Tasted on January 6, 2009 and March 9, 2009 with consistent tasting notes. Only 2,800 cases produced."

By Crauford Wines
" RELEASE DATE: April 2009, PRODUCTION: 2800 cases, APPELLATION:100 % Napa Valley, 100 % Maroon Vineyard , 100 % Mountainside M Block –– 1200 ft. elevation, BLEND: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
THE VINES
2005 marks our sixth vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon for CrauforD, although our connection with the vineyard dates back about 15 years into the late 1990s. We had done some winemaking work for the founder of the vineyard and really took a liking to the fruit that he was bringing in from his field, and the resulting wines. They were dark, and intense; the tannins were firm and the textures bold.
When the opportunity arose for us to produce our own wines from the site, we were excited, and it was pretty clear that M Block was the section that we wanted to pull our fruit from. M Block sits about two-thirds up the mountain on the southwest end of the vineyard.
THE WINE
The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon has very nice aromas of dark red berry fruits and nicely integrated aromas of sweet toasty oak and vanilla. The tannins are moderately firm, less than in vintages 2000-2003 but a little more grip than 2004. The wine is very well balanced and should continue to drink well for several more years.  Barrel aged for 24 months, and held in bottle for 18 months prior to release."

3. Santa Ema Merlot Reserve 2007, score=2

Color is dark garnet. Nose changed while tasting. In the first run, it has a nice floral and perfume note but in the later tasting, rather strong diesel oil and chemical notes over took the perfume. Palate is mixed red and back fruit but the mid palate is a bit flat and acidity is bit pronounced. This flatness became more apparent after the second pass. We thought this is California Cab. This turned out to be Merlot from Maipo Valley, Chile and got 90 from RP. We would not give 90 for sure.

90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2007 Merlot Reserve is a glass-coating opaque purple. The nose offers up coffee, mocha, and cherry leading to a wine with no hard edges and plenty of character. If all Merlots offered this much pleasure, Pinot Noir would never have become so popular." (12/08).


winemaker's notes:

"Santa Ema was established by Pedro Pavone, the son of Italian winemakers from Piedmont in Italy. Having arrived in the Maipo valley of Chile in 1917, Pedro was an engineer by trade and spent his early years grape growing for other wineries, having planted his first vineyards in 1931 and harvesting his first cabernet, Merlot and sauvignon Blanc grapes four years later. He then established the winery with his son Felix in 1955. Santa Ema produces Chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc in addition to a reserve range, Barrel Select line, and a Bordeaux-style red blend called “Catalina” which consistently earns praise for each vintage. Santa Ema was named one of the 20 "World’s Finest value Brands" by Wine Spectator in 2005."