Wine tasting on April 16, 2010

Wow, what a tasting! We had a full compliment of our regulars; Uncle-E, uncle-N, Jimmy, Piroca, Winepath. We had a special guest Uncle-B who contributed "Raven". We had interesting 8 wines including a "white" wine. When it comes to "high-end" wines, our (at least, my) palate can not distinguish differences corresponding to value alone. The expression casting pearls before swine (just me) somehow came to mind.

1. Bodegas Y Vinedos Paixar  Mencia 2006, Score=2+

Color is dark with purple tinge at the edge. Nose is interesting with floral scent laced with oak and hints of tar and smoke. Palate starts with well-controlled black fruit but not too complex leading to well-integrated but firm tannin. Mouth feel is very smooth. Relatively short finish. Oregon Cab (because it is rather austere?) was suggested. Spanish from Priorat  region was also suggested. This is somewhat unusual wine made of 100% Mencia which is not related to Cab Frank as it was believed at one time and is the same grape as Portugal's Jaen. We are not sure we would rate as high as the experts below.

94 Points by Jay Miller, Wine Advocate # 183 (Jun 2009)
"Drink 2015 - 2030

Cost: $100

The 2006 Paixar is 100% Mencia from 80+-year-old vines planted in slate. The wine is naturally fermented, aged for 16 months in new French oak, and bottled without filtration. A glass-staining opaque purple, it offers up a brooding, kinky bouquet filled with Asian spices, incense, black currant, plum, and black cherry. Elegant, silky-textured, and impeccably balanced, it comes off as an imaginary blend of Grand Cru Burgundy and Cote Rotie. Give this sexy effort 5-7 years of additional cellaring and drink it from 2015 to 2030. Importer: Aurelio Cabastrero, Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA; tel. (571) 642-0343"

92 points by Josh Raynolds, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jul/Aug
"($100) Vivid ruby color. Explosively perfumed bouquet evokes black raspberry, candied cherry, Asian spices and potpourri, with an exotic apricot note arriving with air. Sappy, palate-coating red and dark berry flavors are impressively pure and focused, showing a strong undercurrent of minerals and no rough edges. The finish repeats the red berry and floral notes and lingers with excellent sappy persistence. This is complex enough to enjoy now but will be even better with a few more years of bottle age. (Grapes of Spain, Lorton, VA)"

2. Demetria Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills 2007, Score=2


This is another submission by Doug S. Thank you, Doug. Despite elaborate disguising with both paper and a brown bag, it was very clear that this was Pinot as soon as it was poured. Color is light ruby. Nose has slight funk almost faint gasoline smell mixed with fruity aroma. Palate is rather muted but predominantly nice sweet red fruit (unlce-E felt it was too sweet) leading to moderate tannin with crisp acidity. Everybody thought this was made of Pinot grapes. Only question is Burgandy vs. North America. Some thought this could be Burgundy but our resident pinot expert uncategorically said this is from North America and so it was.

From Winery
"A deep garnet color in the glass, the wine is brimming with fruit aromas of cherries, strawberries, and blueberries along with a pretty cherry-cola scented nuttiness. The wine is ethereal in the mouth with a rich, lingering fruit core enhanced by subtle Asian spices and gentle tones of cedar and vanilla. The finish is long, with echoes of kirsch and blue-skinned plum followed by a refreshing acidity."

Reportedly got 92 points from Wine Spectator.

3. Bond Matriarch 2006, Score=3+

Color is nice dark garnet. Nose is classic California Cab with strong vanilla. Palate is loaded with well-controlled black fruit with espresso coffee and vanilla leading to big firm tannin. This is one kind of wine we all can recognize. Next question is what is it. We thought of Caymus but this turned out to be Bond Matriarch 2006.

92 Points by James Laube, Wine Spectator (November 2009)"Delicious, pure, rich and structured, with ripe cherry, plum, blackberry, mineral, anise and sage flavors that gain weight and depth. Full-bodied and firmly tannic, ending on a pleasant earthy note. Drink now through 2016."


90 Points by Robert Parker The Wine Advocate (December 2009)

"Starting with the Matriarch, this wine is the easiest to drink young. Dark plum/purple, with plenty of smoke, black currants, espresso roast, oak, and chocolate, the 2006 is dense, round, and best drunk over the next decade."

4. Chateau Haut-Brion 2001, Score=2 (Sorry but this is "us")

Color is dark garnet without significant brown tinge. Nose has some funk with tar but not typical basement funk. Palate is muted and austere. We did not think it was complex and leading to well-crafted moderately firm tannin. No question that this is from the Old World. Spanish, Italian and French were considered. But without a classic funk, Bordeaux was not one of our top choices. This is a classic example of "giving an expensive  Pearl necklace to a pig".

94 points by Robert Parker
"Haut-Brion's 2001, which was bottled late (the end of September, 2003), possesses an unmistakable nobility as well as a burgeoning complexity. Plum/purple to the rim, this blend of 52% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Cabernet Franc is playing it close to the vest, having closed down considerably after bottling. Nevertheless, it reveals pure notes of sweet and sour cherries, black currants, licorice, smoke, and crushed stones. Medium-bodied with excellent purity, firm tannin, and an angular, structured finish, it requires 5-7 years of cellaring."


5. Sine Qua Non "The Raven" Syrah 2006, score=3+


Color is very dark garnet immediately "syrah" was mentioned. Nose has nice plum and black pepper, again, reinforcing "syrah" for this wine. We liked this wine. Palate is larded with black fruit, plum, coffee, chocolate and complex subtle layers (milk whey in a good way is a description by Winepath). Firm tannin with long lingering finish. Our consensus was California Syrah or Syrah blend. This turned out to be one of the most sought after cult wines; "sine qua non, the raven". 

96-99 points by Robert Parker:
"The 2006 Syrah Raven Series (93% Syrah, 5% Grenache, and 2% Viognier) is primarily from the Eleven Confessions Vineyard with small quantities from the Bien Nacido and White Hawk vineyards. It will be bottled after spending 22 months in oak casks. Aromas of sweet black and blue fruits, forest floor, lead pencil shavings, and spring flowers emerge from this remarkably elegant Syrah. With great fruit intensity, a stunning texture, and an opulent mouthfeel, this is a gentle, gracious, large-scaled wine displaying extraordinary finesse and elegance for its size. It will drink beautifully for 12-15+ years." (06/09)

95 points and a "Hot Wines" designation from Wine Spectator:
"A delightful mix of big aromas and a gentler texture, this shows rich, bold blackberry jam, pepper, mineral and sage notes that are elegant and supple on the palate, ending with a chicory edge. Drink now through 2014." (Insider, June 3, 2009)


6. Stephen and Walker Sauvignon Blanc 2008, White wine! No score given


We could not believe that this was a white wine. Winepath felt we should taste a white sometime. So it was. Color is pale straw.  Nose is nice with pear, apricot and honey dew melon. No smells to indicate malolactic fermentation or wood. Palate reflects the nose with some more tropical fruit with crisp acidity. As far as white goes, we liked it. We thought this is Sauvignon blanc. This is Winepath Dry Creek neighbour "Stephen and Walker".

From the Winery:
"WOW!!  That's the best way to describe this Sauvignon blanc.  This is the same great wine and vineyard in Dry Creek Valley.  These grapes were picked early this harvest and we tried our best to manage the ripeness, even so, we ended with alcohol around 14.32% and the wine is very balanced and EXQUISITE!!  We cold fermented this wine very slowly (22 days) to preserve the tropical esters (aromas and flavors) and left the wine on its lees for 6 months before racking.  The wine was so well protected by the lees that it had a bright green color similar to the grape juice at pressing! 

This Sauvignon blanc has an exuberant floral bouquet bursting with juicy complex fruit.  Flavors of tangerine and lemon drops, topped with notes of pineapple, mango and guava.  This lovely crisp wine makes a perfect aperitif and is a natural match for seasonal shellfish dishes."

7. St. Francis Sonoma County Cabernet Souvignon 2006, Score=2+

Color is dark garnet. Nose has slight funk. Wine was served a bit too cold.Palate has nice black fruit transition into a bit thin mid-palate and ending in moderate well integrated tannin.  This was a very drinkable wine. Cali Cab was the consensus. I think this is a very decent Cali Cab but, among the heavy hitters we had in this tasting, it did not stand out. Actually, Uncle-N had this bottle at one of the restaurants a week or so ago and thought it was a quite good drinkable wine.

From the Winery:

"The grapes in this classic varietal come from five of the top Sonoma County appellations: Sonoma Valley, Dry Creek Valley, Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley and one of the most recently established appellations Rockpile. Hand-picked at harvest, typically commencing in mid-September through late November, the fully ripened clusters are crushed into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and fermented from eight to fifteen days. After fermentation is complete, the wine is pressed and then aged in different lots for twenty to twenty – three months in new American and French oak barrels. Once the desired lots are selected and blended, the wine is bottled and held another four to eight months so that it’s fully developed by time of release.

The result is a full-bodied Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon with a rich mouthfeel, moderate tannins and deep ruby color accentuating the taste of black cherries, dark chocolate and spicy oak."

8. Luigi Righetti Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2006, No score given, not blind tasted.

This was thrown in after all 7 wines were uncovered.  This was to the response to our guest comment "No Italian wines?". Only Italian I had at hand was this Amarone. It was not bad but not outstanding.

From the Winery:
"Located in Valgatara, right in the heart of Valpolicella Classico, the Luigi Righetti estate is truly a family run winery. Since 1909, when Angelo Righetti first earned a reputation as an outstanding winemaker, the family has focused on producing quality wines of distinction.

Righetti’s wines exhibit an exceptional balance between fruit, wood aging, acidity and alcohol. The result is a line of wines that have good aging potential, but are available for early consumption as well. The most exciting tradition to evolve from the Veneto region is the process used to dry grapes prior to pressing. Amarone and "Campolieti", the ripasso Valpolicella, have traditionally been the products to benefit from this process.

Gian Maria Righetti is the fourth generation within the Righetti family to carry on the family, wine-making tradition. Gian Maria’s father, Luigi, who is still active in the estate’s day to day operation, was the first in the family to consider production beyond supply of local demand. Gian Maria has gone one step further by crafting a few wines with a more international flair. In addition to the traditional Valpolicella and Amarone, the estate has produced another exceptional wine using grape varieties not commonly grown in the region: "Valsaia", made with corvina, cabernet sauvignion and sangiovese. Like Amarone, the grapes for making "Valsaia" are also dried, at least partially, prior to fermentation, giving this wine incredible richness and depth.

Valpolicella Doc
After the vinification and fermentation of the Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella grapes in steel tanks, the  wine then undergoes a second fermentation on the Amarone lees.

GRAPE
From the estate of Campolieti, a field blend using 60% Corvina, 30% Rondinella and 10% Molinara.

METHOD
Stainless steel, temperature-controlled fermentation that lasts 8-10 days.  During the following spring, the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation inside casks containing the lees of Amarone.  This process is termed the “Ripasso” method.

CHARACTERISTICS
Dark ruby color, brilliant highlights, black-cherry nose with a raisiny complex of scents, medium body, surprisingly flavorful, deep, round tastes punctuated by a slightly bitter hint, delivered with a graceful lightness."

Wine tasting on 4-9-10

We had a full attendance and blind tasted 7 wines. Present were Uncle-E, Uncle-N, Jimmy, Piroca and Winepath. Piroca took extra steps and used decoy bottles and made fancy cover-ups to make double disguises which, of course, took us up a wrong path. With few exceptions (namely the last two), the wines we tasted were good.

1. RayLen Cabernet Sauvignon (North Carolina) 2007, Score=2+

Color is dark garnet. Nose has green pepper, slight funk with soapy note but, on balance, it is not unpleasant. Palate has nice upfront mixed black and red fruit with a hint of grapey and sweet tastes leading to rather rough hewed tannin with crisp acidity. Everybody thought this is quite a drinkable wine. Spanish, may be tempranillo, was mentioned. After Uncle-N's comment that this was a very unusual wine, some were convinced this is Cab Frank from Barboursville, Virginia. It was not from Virginia but another near-by state.--North Carolina. This wine is remarkably good. Only rare red wines from Maryland and Virginia we tasted get our passing mark but this one certainly did.

From RayLen vineyard webpage:
"Aged for nine months in a blend of new and seasoned oak, give the Cabernet Sauvignon its rich flavor and body. Luscious tones of leather, tobacco, dark chocolate and brown spices make this wine a must-have. Pairs well with your favorite leather chair, a roaring fire, and a fine cigar."


2.  Poggio Il Castellare Sant Antimo Cervio Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Score=3

Color is nicely dark with nose of vanilla, toasted oak, and mint. Palate is fruit forward laced with vanilla, caramel and a hint of coffee ending in nicely integrated smooth tannin. Some felt this wine is over oaked. But the rest of us felt this is quite OK. California Cabernet was the consensus with possibly Tempranillo thrown in at the last moment. I know people will say this is Cali cab. I wonder if Tenuta Poggio Il Castellare (which is a fine maker of Brunello) made this wine for American taste just for export. In any case we liked this wine but did not suspect this is from Italy.

Wine Spectator 93 Points
"Wonderful aromas of crushed berries, with fresh herbs and mineral, follow through to a full body, with soft, velvety tannins and a long, caressing finish. Very fine. Best after 2011. –JS"


3. Babcock Cabernet Sauvignon "Nucleus" 2005, Score=3+

This was a special submission from Doug S. from Santa Barbara. Thank you, Doug.

Color is dark garnet with slight brown tinge indicating some age. Nose has cherry, herbs, tar, burned rubber and smoke (which some liked). Palate is loaded with well-controlled black fruit with layers of flavours leading to big assertive tannin and lingering long finish. We all liked this wine. Definitely New World. North American Rhone blend, California Cab ("Ridge" was mentioned). This is Babcock's "Terroir Exclusive series"

"Like its Terroir Exclusives sibling The Loin, Nucleus comes from Estelle Vineyard. Whereas The Loin is the filet mignon being 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from an idyllic little rock covered hillside, Nucleus is a little bigger and represents more of the middle ranch. Having a little more space allows one to plant a smidgen of the other noble varietals, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and to try multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon as well.

At the Estelle Vineyard, Nucleus will be the future crux of the issue when it comes time to formulate a world-class blend. While the first Nucleus is legally a Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), in the future you just might see the label NUCLEUS, and noth'n else. Finally, there is one thing that Nucleus and The Loin have in common, those ubiquitous, beautiful rocks."

4. Erna Schein Fat Boy 2006, Score=3+
The bottle was clad with paper even on the neck of the bottle. The bottle shape is odd with a short neck,  stubby and heavy. Color is nice dark ruby. Nose is the best among the wines tasted tonight with exotic tropical fruits, specifically starfruit and jammy note. Palate is fruit forward with predominately black fruit with herbs, caramel, and vanilla with minty overtone leading to good firm tannin and a long nice finish. We all liked this one. Cali cab and cab blend were what we thought this is. When this was uncovered, we noticed a characteristic shape of the top of the bottle. Indeed this was submitted in a decoy bottle of 2002 Insignia but we could not believe this is Insignia. It turns out this is a right bank blend from Erna Schein with an unusually large amount of P. Verdot.


















WINE SPECTATOR REVIEW: 92 POINTS 
"Sleek and stylish, yet complex, offering red currant, clove and spice notes, with rich, layered black cherry, mocha and espresso flavors that take on momentum toward ripe but deep tannins. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2014. 375 cases made". - TF (Jul 31, 2009)

90 POINTS from WINE ADVOCATE:
"The outstanding 2006 Fat Boy (a 375-case blend of 56% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc) exhibits espresso, coffee, black cherry jam, charcoal, and pain grille characteristics. As its name suggests, this is a fat, succulent wine with loads of fruit, glycerin, purity, and length. Enjoy it over the next 5-7 years."

WINEMAKER NOTES:
"Fat Boy is back, with an updated look and all of the power and richness of its predecessors. This wine exhibits a deep, dark ruby color with an intriguing nose of cocoa powder, clove, tobacco and cedar. Great structure and unctuous texture are complemented by the mouth-filling flavors of chocolate cherry cordial and espresso, all leading to an earthy finish of vanilla, leather and violets. 56% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc. 375 cases produced."

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

The bottle was  very strange. It was made of a heavy, big thick glass but Uncle-E detected that it had a sloped shoulder which was disguised by paper. So, from the bottle, it has to be something like syrah or shiraz. Color is very dark with a hint of purple tinge. Nose has some burnt coffee but rather pleasant. No black pepper. No meat juice. Palate is nice with upfront loaded fruit mostly black fruit, plum laced with nice oak-derived flavors leading to big firm tannin and nice lasting finish. Some felt an acidic kick at the end. Acidity was more pronounced after aerating for some time. The bottle threw us off. Although we felt that from the bottle shape, it has to be Aussie Shiraz, it does not have a characteristic black pepper and jus de viande. When it was unveiled, we all said this could not be a sine qua non.  The bottle was sine qua non "Just for the love of it". Again this was Piroca's double disguise trick. Although the tasters like this wine, Uncle-E was not impressed with it.



96 points by Robert Paker, The Wine Advocate:
"The blockbuster 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is more primary, but it does display enormous fruit concentration, massive body, and wonderful purity, balance, and elegance. It is an extraordinarily promising 2007 with awesome fruit, depth and richness as well as a long finish. This offering will be even better with 5-7 years of bottle age, and should keep for 20+ years. Buccella, under the guidance of well-known winemaking consultant Celia Masyczek has fashioned brilliant Cabernet Sauvignons in both 2006 and 2007. The 2007s are slightly more powerful, backward wines (alcohol levels range from the upper 14% to low 15%), but they have enough structure as well as sensational concentration and depth to support the tannins"

6. Famiglia Bianchi Cabernet sauvignon 2006, score=1+

Color is dark brown/garnet. Nose is unpleasant with chemical and dusty tones. Palate is rather thin, flat, one dimensional and rather tannic at the end. This is the least favorite among the 7 wines tasted. We guessed Hungarian or Romanian wine but it was from Argentina. It certainly competes with Eastern European reds but not with "the best from around the world".

Wine markers note:

"A classic Cabernet Sauvignon that can compete with the best from around the world, this wine has an intense red/purple color and an enjoyable, complex nose that is reminiscent of berries, spice, cedar, chocolate and much more. The nose carries through to the palate, delivering rich, full texture and berry-spicy-cedar flavors. It is a well-balanced wine with a lingering, pleasing finish."

88 points from Wine Enthusiast

"Solid, sweet-styled Cab, this starts out with dark, piercing berry and asphalt aromas, which are followed by an appealing blast of dark-fruit flavors. Turns more aggressive and rugged as it opens, but stays the course."—Michael Schachner, May 01, 2008.

87 points from Wine Spectator

"A ripe, polished, modern style, with lush raspberry and blackberry fruit layered with a suave cocoa note. Sweet, fleshy finish.

Score: 87." —James Molesworth, 2009.

7. Lamborghini (La Fiorita) Campoleone Umbria 2000, Score=2
Color is dark brown indicating age. Nose is similar to Bianchi above--unpleasant, smelling of chemicals and dust. Palate is very austere ending in very large tannin. Definitely an old world wine. Bordeaux was mentioned but no "basement" smell. Jimmy thought it was Tuscan and he was right. This wine may be better with food such as steak as the wine maker's note states.

Lamborghini
"Deep purple in color with intense aromas of wild berries. Explodes on the palate with loads of fruit and big structure. Lots of fine tannins insure aging potential yet the wine exhibits the signature soft touch of Riccardo Cotarella. Recommended with hearty dishes like roasted meats and game."

91 points from Wine Enthusiast
"A 50% Merlot-50% Sangiovese blend that has aromas of vanilla and new leather. The flavors of currants and cedar combine with big tannins in this powerful wine. Give this one some time. Drink 2004–2010." - February 01, 2003.

TASTING ON FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2010

This tasting was held on a gorgeous holiday spring afternoon, that makes Washington a beautiful place to be (Congress is out, while the illustrious members are on home turf trying to raise money for their campaign and explain to the angry constituents why they should be re-elected).
This was a somewhat low-key tasting with a limited appearance of Uncle N, who had other engagements; present were: Uncles Jimmy, Piroca and Winepath. Uncle E was absent.
The first wine came from a half bottle. It had dark cherry red color, with a pleasant flowery nose. Red fruit forward, raspberry. somewhat sweet, but acidic was the consensus (note the poetic structure of the sentence, where the noun follows the adjective).
In general, people liked this wine (Uncle Piroca thought that it was "grapey and acidic"). Petit syrah and California Merlot (Uncle Jimmy). When revealed, this wine was in a Clos du Val bottle. However, it turned out to be a decoy bottle, since it contained Uncle Winepath's California cab sauvignon 2009. The wine is aging in a small French barrel for the last 5 months. It will stay there for longer. It was given 2+ to 3 points. At least it is drinkable.

Worthy, Sohia's cuvee, 2006: 2+

The second half-bottle tasted tonight, this wine had a slightly brown tinge; it had a good "bordeaux blend" nose and taste. Palate a bit muted, some bitterness with an acidic finish according to some, "tannic" according to Winepath. Cab franc and zinfandel were mentioned, possibly from Sonoma's Dry Creek or Alexander Valley.
It was the popular Worthy, the second label of Axios, from Napa. A definite "Bordeaux style", born in California, not bad. Uncle N just tasted the same wine the night before.

Mockingbird Hill 2007: 3+

This was a definite cali cab, according to all, with nice deep red color and vanilla, cayenne and the usual fruit forward taste. According to Uncle P this was "Spanish", "a bit thin". Pleasant chocolate, coffee and a long finish. Mockingbird Hill produces cab sauvignon and a white varietal only. A nice wine.

Mica 2006: 4 to 4+

Although this wine was not covered, as it was a random selection by Uncle P, this turned out to be tonight's absolute winner. Dark, almost black with smoke, graphite and freshly burned pine forest first impressions. A cab or cab blend from California, with plenty of fruit such as fig, cherry, and toasted almond croissant. Incredibly long finish, we loved this wine. No wonder, since this cabernet sauvignon was produced by Bucella, under the guidance of Celia Welch Masyczek.