Wine tasting on March 12, 2010

Finally, it feels like spring is coming. Gathered were Uncle-N, Piroca, Winepath and Jimmy and we blind tasted 5 wines.

1. Firriato Santagostino Rosso 2006, score=2+

Color is dark ruby but compared to our usual dark color of Cabernet, it looks light. Nose has some minerals but no funk. Palate is mixed fruit with more pronounced red fruit leading to mild to moderate tannin but some citrus or acidic finish. Winepath thought this was way too acidic. There is faint chocolate in the finish as well. Grenache, syrah components were suggested. Spain, Australia and Chile were mentioned and, in passing, Italian was also mentioned, although no specifics were given. This is from Sicily. This was #50 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2008. The wine is made of 50% each of Nero d'Avola and Syrah.

91 points Wine Spectator:
"Shows focused aromas of boysenberry, blackberry and light vanilla. Full-bodied, with soft, round tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Beautiful and juicy. Drink now. 45,830 cases made. 50% Nero D'avola, 50% Syrah."

Note from the Winery:
"The Nero d'Avola and Syrah grapes are picked in the middle of September. The vineyard soils are predominantly clay and calcereous. This wine is vinified over a period of 12 days in temperature controlled fermenters followed by malolactic fermentation and maturation in French and American barriques for 8 months......It is even more intense and with a deep ruby red colour, beautiful notes of mature red fruits, and an underlying hint of spices conferred by these exceptional grapes. The palate notes the caressing elegant tannins that give it a long, warm persistent finish, making it stand out in a world context. Ideal accompaniment to roast, grilled meat, game and flavoured medium-aged cheeses."

2. Rudd Crossroads Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, score=3+

Color is dark garnet. Nose has toasted oak and very faint funk. Palate is very nice with dark fruit, berries and black cherry laced with vanilla and chocolate and with nutty character leading to firm tannin. Nice good lingering finish. Everybody agreed that this is cab but as for the origin, Argentina and Chile were suggested (based on a semi-body builder bottle, I suppose). We tasted the 2005 vintage from Rudd in Jan 2009 and Uncle-N tasted 2002 vintage in October 07 while on vacation.

By Robert Parker
“A totally new viticultural and wine-making team is in place at Rudd, including viticultural manager, Bill Vyenielo, as well as superstars David Abreu and Michel Rolland. The new winemaker in addition to Rebekah Wineburg is Pat Sullivan. I think all of this reflects the meticulous perfectionism of proprietor Leslie Rudd, who wants to push this winery, with its fabulous source of vineyards (including the home estate right across the street from Screaming Eagle and down the slope from Dalla Valle), into the superstar stratum of Napa.”
Robert Parker, WA #, #174 (Dec 2007)

From "A Fine Wine Find":
"The 2006 Rudd Crossroads Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon (76%) is a small production wine made from fruit grown on the benchland vineyards of RUDD Oakville Estate. This is a full bodied dense wine which has a deep ruby/purple color and a beautifully sweet nose of blueberry, blackberry, and deeper black fruits. A pure wine with flavors of dark bing cherries, red currant, and cassis. Layers of velvety tannins give way to an exotic spice box finish.....76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cab Franc, 7% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot 20 months is FRENCH Oak ( 83% new)"

3. Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, score=3+~(4)

Color is nice dark garnet. Nose  has some minerals and vanilla. Palate is upfront loaded with black fruit with very pronounced vanilla laced with caramel and chocolate. Nice firm but smooth tannin. Good lasting finish. Knowing Piroca brought this, we thought this is Cali Cab and is Caymus (by the bottle shape, regular Caymus). Vanilla is very pronounced and some may think this is a bit over done. In any case, this is our favorite type of wine. If Uncle-E was here, he would not have liked this one. We tasted this wine in January 29.

We have tasted both regular 06,  special selection 07  and 06 and other vintages in the past and this remains as one of our favorite wines. Caymus produces good wines in the style we like year after year.

92 points Wine Spectator:
"Ripe and fleshy, with rich plum, wild berry, spice and savory herb notes that are complex, full-bodied and expansive on the palate, ending with firm tannins and a dash of espresso. Drink now through 2016." (11/09)

4. Dean & DeLuca Cabernet Sauvignon by Larkin 2007, score=3+

Color is very dark. Nose was initially a bit closed but later opened up with caramel and chocolate. Palate has mostly well-controlled black fruit with some smokey note leading to big chewy tannin. As it is now,  tannin may be too rough. We thought this is Cali cab and may need more bottle aging. This turned out to be Larkin cab which was marketed through Dean and Deluca.

From Dean and Deluca:
"We've started to work with key vintners in California to produce outstanding wines at very reasonable prices. Our first to debut is the Dean & DeLuca Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon made by the talented Sean Larkin. Sourced from some outstanding sites on Pritchard Hill and within St. Helena and Oakville, we think this is one of the best Cabs you will find at this price point and even above. Densely packed with fleshy black fruit, if you were to taste this blind, you would peg this as at least a $50 Cab. We produced 112 cases of this impressive 2007. We suggest you try at least a few bottles to get you started."

I am not sure if RP tasted exactly the same wine or the D&D version is different but this is what RP said about 07 Larkin cab.

93 Points by Robert M. Parker:"The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon boasts an opaque purple color along with a big, projected nose of creme de cassis, smoked meats, licorice, and graphite. Layered, opulent, and full-bodied with the vintage’s exuberance, flamboyance, purity, and sweet tannins, it has plenty of up-front appeal, but will evolve for 15+ years."

5. Barnadown Run Heathcote Shiraz 2003, score=2+

While I was on the phone and not paying attention to what's going on, Jimmy brought out this wine. From the bottle shape (sloped shoulders) and very dark almost black color, we judged that this is Syrah or Shiraz. Nose is sweet and floral and very pleasant. It was too cold which prevented us from really tasting it but it had some acidic kick. As per Jimmy, he brought this to show us how a really acidic wine would taste (since Winepath thought the Santagostino was too acidic). Our consensus was California Syrah since we did not detect black pepper or jus de viande but this turned out to be from Australia.

88 points by Robert Parker:
 "The 2003 Shiraz (which includes small dollops of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec) was aged in equal parts American and French wood for 18 months. It exhibits a dark plum color, abundant amounts of dark fruits, an elegant style, good ripeness, some dusty, loamy soil notes, and 15.1% alcohol. Enjoy this chewy Shiraz over the next 2-3 years."