Wine tasting on January 15, 2010

All the uncles were present including Winepath, Piroca, Jimmy, Uncle-N and Uncle-E and a guest appearance from Uncle-OZ. We tasted 7 wines. Except for the first one, all the others were  blind tasted. The first one, d'Arenberg, Winepath had the night before and he really liked it and brought the rest for us to taste. All the wines were quite good except for one.

1. D'arenberg Ironstone Pressings 2004, Score=3+

This was brought in by Winepath who tasted it last night and was very impressed. Being generous and sharing, he brought this in for us to taste. Color is nicely dark. Nose has cedar and sandal wood notes. Palate explodes with fruit, mostly black fruit including plum. Some felt the fruit was a bit sweet. Almost viscous silky mouth feel. Tannin is good and firm but not too much with rather long finish. For a Grenache based wine, this is much more heavy duty than one would expect. d'Arenberg makes some good ones. We were not as blown away as Winepath was but thought this was still a quite impressive wine. Their Dead-arm Shiraz has been our favorite.

94 Points - Robert Parker (Wine Advocate)
"The flagship blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvedre, the 2004 The Ironstone Pressings, is stunning. A full-bodied, powerful red, it displays notes of kirsch, tapenade , blackberries, dusty loamy earth, pepper, and spice. Rich, structured, intense flavors cascade over the palate with fabulous fruit purity and density. This stunner should drink well for 12-15 years."

From the winery
"In its youth, d’Arenberg’s Ironstone Pressings has a deep, dark plum purple colour matched by just as intense black cherry, raspberry, spice, cedar, dark chocolate, liquorice, tobacco, mixed spice and brooding ripe blackberry aromas. Mulberry, ripe plum and fresh pepper spice dominate the rich full bodied palate before a long, intense, rolling, dark gritty cherry tannin finish. After quite some time in bottle the intense colour fruit aromas and dusty gripping tannins tone down, the colour moving towards brown ruby red. Eventually the Grenache and Shiraz blossom as rich, sweet, violet like scents, with spicy, cedary and tobacco based aromas before malty sweet dark chocolate flavours and crunchy, chewy textured black olive, spicy ginger and long fleshy textures. Serve at room temperature 16 – 24 ?C. now or in the next 3- 25 years with rich, full-flavoured foods like lamb shanks, pork fillets, goulashes, Russian cabbage dishes and game, even with warm chicken soups and cous cous, classic roast lamb and rump steaks. Also good with veal shanks and oxtail. Serve after decanting as an older wine."

2. Two Hands Wines Charlie's Patch Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Score=3+~4

Color is dark with purple tinge. Nose is very pleasent with chocolate and coffee. Palate is impressive with black fruit such as black berries and blueberries mixed with black cherries laced with vanilla, caramel and dark chocolate leading to big assertive tannin. It has a good structure and long lasting finish. Most of us felt that this was the best of the tasting. California cab with Petit Verdot or Merlot component was suggested. Some thought this is one of Bond. This is Cab from Two hands Napa. We have tasted their second label Cab from Two hands Napa before which was 2006 "Some days are Diamond" and gave 2+~3. This one "Charlies Patch" is defnitely more upscale and refined. Very complex wine.

92 Points Stephen Tanzer International Wine Cellar, May/Jun 09
"Good deep medium ruby. Smoky, ripe aromas of black fruits, licorice and spicy oak. Juicy and concentrated, with its sweet black fruit flavors given clarity and lift by lovely harmonious acidity. Here the firm tannins seem a bit more sweet and suave, and the wine's spine is nicely balanced by mid-palate ripeness of black fruits. Structured to reward aging. Made mostly from Spring Mountain fruit, but also includes a bit from Oakville and Howell Mountain."

90+ points Robert Parker Wine Advocate # 180 (Dec 2008)  
"The exceptional 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Charlie’s Patch (from hillside vineyards) boasts a deep ruby/purple color followed by notes of black currants, licorice, and spicy oak, full-bodied power, and plenty of structure in the back end. The tannins are still elevated, but this is unquestionably a candidate for long-term aging. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2020+. Two Hands, which is well-known for their exceptional portfolio of wines from southern Australia, has branched out into Napa Valley, with the irrepressible Michael Twelftree and his partner, Richard Mintz, making serious Cabernet Sauvignon. There are about 600 cases of his luxury priced Charlie’s Patch, and 400 cases of the second wine, Some Days Are Diamonds. Both cuvees are made at the Outpost Winery on Howell Mountain, with winemaker Thomas Brown overseeing the production. www.twohandswines.com"

3. Salvestrin Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=3

Color is dark garnet. Nose has some smoky note with perfume and citrus (Piroca sensed some funk but the rest of us did not). Palate is a bit muted but well-controlled black fruit coming through with well-integrated tannin. We felt acidity was a bit much. Argentinian Malbec and Cali Cab were suggested. Indeed this is Califronia Cab.

92 points Wine Enthusiast (12/31/2008)
"A beautiful young Cab that continues Salvestrin’s unbroken track record of the last several years. Dry and rich in tannins, it shows enormously concentrated fruit flavors of currants, blackberries, black cherries, mocha and spice. Gorgeous now, and should improve over the next decade."

From the Vineyard
"Varietal Composition: 97% Cabernet Sauvignon 3% Merlot, Appellation: St. Helena, Harvest Date: 9/25/2005, Aging: 23 months, Alcohol %: 14.80%

It all began when Italian immigrants John and Emma Salvestrin fell in love with St. Helena while visiting friends in the early 1920’s. In 1932 they purchased a portion of the historic Crane Ranch, including the Victorian home of Dr. Crane.  With the repeal of prohibition in 1933, they started selling grapes and the industry began to grow again. Ed Salvestrin, who grew up on the family vineyard, continued to grow quality grapes through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s preserving the family legacy for future generations. He still lives on site and frequently tends to his fruit trees (apples, pomegranates, grapefruit, persimmon) when he’s not helping out in the vineyard. In 1987, Rich Salvestrin completed his degree in viticulture from Fresno State University. He returned to the family vineyard to help farm and also to expand the families grape growing business to include winemaking. 1994 was the inaugural vintage of Salvestrin Cabernet Sauvignon and in 2001 the estate winery was constructed amongst the family vines. Today, three generations live on the 26 acre property and look forward to the time that Rich and Shannon’s three young daughters will become 4th generation owners and winemakers."

4. Reddust Shiraz 2007, score=2~2+

Color is a bit light and transparent especially in comparison with the first three wines. We sensed melting candle wax in the nose with jammy fruit. Palate has plenty of sweet fruit but mid-palate is a bit hollow and felt flat. Medium tannin finishes the wine. California Zimfandel was suggested.

This was thrown in by Uncle-N. We tasted this first in November last year.  We were all impressed at that time and thought this wine was quite good and has a very high PQR ($10). The second time we tasted it (I was not there), our tasteres did not like it. So this was meant to be a tie breaker to see how we reacted to this wine. Especially coming after the previous 3 wines, we still thought it was a drinkable wine but we were not as impressed as we were the first time we tasted it. Everything is relative.

From the Winery web pages.

"Distinctive Australian terroir produces distinctive Australian wines! As you’ve just learned, it’s taken the Australians a few decades, but little by little they’re zeroing in on the regions with the best terroirs. They didn’t have to look very far to come up with the name of this wine! This type of red earth is found only in some regions of Australia.

The striking image below gives you a pretty clear idea of just what the soil looks like. The color comes from iron oxides and it’s claimed to produce wines that are more refined and elegant.

A taste of Red Dust Shiraz will prove that fact to you. While the grapes benefit from the same warm, sunny climate of the Adelaide Hills that allows them to achieve perfect ripeness, they don’t get the overripe, jammy flavors that characterize Shiraz from some other regions in Australia.

The other secret to producing a wine with more elegance is the judicious use of oak. In the early days of New World winemaking, a lot of people were, shall we say, overenthusiastic in their use of oak on both red and white wines. The result was out-of-balance, heavy, tannic wines. Thankfully most have become less heavy-handed and have learned how to use oak to complement the natural fruit flavors without overwhelming them. In Red Dust, the oak is apparent but it makes up just one component in the whole. The personality of the Shiraz shines through with the sweet, spicy character of the oak playing an important yet secondary supporting role. Discover a stylish and well-balanced wine, you won’t regret it! This wine has the potential to age for another year or two, but enjoy it when the fruit is still youthful. Any red meat would flatter this Shiraz or serve it with an herbed pilaf of wild rice and lentils."

5. Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2001, Score=2+~3


Color is dark garnet. Nose has some funk with sulfa which dissipated after some aeration. A hint of chocolate was detected as well. Palate has nice sweet fruit leading to big tannin. Relatively long finish. When we came back to this wine for the second time, it tasted better. Although the funky nose suggested old world the fruit-laden palate does not go with that assumption. We ended up with "may be syrah from California or Oregon" which was totally off the mark. This is one of the best 100 wines by Wine Spectator from Casa Lapostolle, Chile.

90 points Wine Advocate Issue 159

"The Clos Apalta luxury cuvee, primarily based on an old vine, non-irrigated Carmenere parcel, remains one of Chile's standard-bearers. The medium to full-bodied 2001 Clos Apalta explodes from the glass with powerful scents of black raspberries, cassis liqueur, and hints of mocha. An elegant yet immensely ripe wine, it offers spicy black cherry flavors in its bright, high-toned, and tannin-laced character."

95 points Wine Spectator

"Stunning purity, with concentrated plum, boysenberry and raspberry fruit that just glides across the palate, buttressed by superfine yet muscular tannins. Suave toast, coconut butter and spice notes along with alluring chocolate and black tea hints chime in on the long finish. A superb combination of fruit and elegance. 4,885 cases made".

We do not think we will give "95" for this wine.

6. Lehmann Clancy's 2006, Score=2+

This one came in a funky bottle--over filled and with a screw top. Without tasting, we thought of Australia. But despite all this, this wine had a decent taste. Color is dark garnet. Nose is pleasant with some cocoa flavor. Plate is rich in black fruit leading to rather big tannin. We felt this wine was too tannic and too acidic. Australian Shiraz cab blend was suggested.

This is one of Lehmann wines. Clancy's blend is composed of Shiraz (49%), Cab Sauv (33%) and Merlot (18%). Reportedly Wine Spectator gave 88 points but I can not confirm it.

From the Winery web page

"Peter Lehmann’s Clancy’s blend has become a firm favourite with lovers of red wine around the world. We follow the pioneering Australian tradition of blending Shiraz with Cabernet Sauvignon, but give it our own touch with the incorporation of Merlot to give a soft, approachable and richly enjoyable red wine.

Successive vintages of this wine have gained major recognition around the world for being an exceptional wine at a very fair price. America’s leading wine magazine, Wine Spectator, has selected Clancy’s in its prestigious Top 100 Wines of the Year listing on no less than four occasions since 1997, and selected the 2004 vintage to appear in its inaugural list of the world’s Top 100 Wine Values."

7. Château Croizet Bages 1997, Score=2-


Color is light brown indicating age. Nose is unadulterated moldy basement smell with green vegetables. Palate is muted with a flat mid palate leading to mild tannin. Our consensus was aged Bordeaux. Least favorite of all the wines we tasted tonight.

Nothing much I can find about this particular wine. Here is the information about the winery (Wikipedia).

"Château Croizet Bages is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of eighteen Cinquièmes Crus (Fifth Growths) in the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855."