Wine Tasting on June 4 2010

We are having unseasonably hot weather in the DC area. This reminds us to take heed not to ship wines during the hot summer days--one of the bad things associated with hot summer. All core members were present; Uncle N, Piroca, Winepath, Jimmy and late arriving UnlceE with a special guest apperance of Uncle OZ. We blind tasted 7 wines; one of them was very special, if not this evening's favorite.

1. Bodegas Carmen Rodriguez Mendez Carodorum Especial 2005, Score=3

Like the Vilafonte we tasted in the last tasting, this one donned a tissue paper which is blight yellow instead of red. This was further wrapped with 2 sheets of paper with a streamer of yellow paper sticking out like a yellow scarf flapping in the wind.

Color is very dark opaque garnet. Nose has slight funk and also we sensed high alcohol and somewhat oaky. Palate is loaded with intense dark fruit especially plum and black berries coated with melted dark chocolate and a hint of cinnamon. Nice smooth mouth coating viscous feel ending in well integrated but rather firm assertive tannin. Some tasters thought it was a bit too tannic. Our tasters' opinions were all over the board; "Cab or cab blend", "No, not cab, maybe syrah", "could be a Bordeaux", "Not a Bordeaux" and finally "Tempranillo from Spain" was mentioned. Some thought this was an older vintage (specifically 2003, I do not know why). This turned out to be Carodorum 2005, 100% tempranilo from Castilla Leon. We tasted the 2004 vintage before and liked it.

94 points by International Wine Review (Spanish Selections 2008-9 - Part 2):
"100% ungrafted, 100 year old Tempranillo aged 18 months in new French oak casks. Opaque ruby color with classy, nuanced aromas of toasty French oak and black plum fruit. Shows a soft, dark attack and an elegant, silky textured palate of black fruit and pepper. Beautifully balanced, with soft, round tannins and a long, lingering finish. A stunner! And not shy when it comes to alcohol either (15%).."

93 points by Jay Miller (Robert Parker's Wine Advocate # 175, Feb 2008):
"The 2005 Special Selection was sourced from ungrafted vines over 100 years old and aged for 18 months in new French oak. Opaque purple-colored, it presents a striking perfume of pain grille, scorched earth, espresso, blueberry, and blackberry liqueur. Powerful, concentrated, layered, and full-flavored, this spicy, rich wine has 6-8 years of aging potential and will drink well through 2025 Importer: F.L. Navarro, Quality Wines of Spain, New York, NY; tel. (212) 842-8181"

About the winery By qualitywinesofspain.com:
"The family of Guiller Diez had been growing grapes in Toro for generations but he is the first formal winemaker in the family. After completing his major in Winemaking, 2003 was the first vintage he created and his wines are already amongst the best in the region.
Practically garage wines, only 21 000 bottles are made. Everything is carefully crafted by hand.
The small Estate has 16 Has in small plots southeast from Toro, particularly the Cascajera Estate. This part of Zamora is one of the very few places in Spain where Phylloxera could never take hold. For their top wine, Carodorum uses only grapes that come from ungrafted vines that are more than 100 years old.  Guiller continues to take care of the vines in the same way his ancestors did-- without pesticides or fertilizers; all organic matter is re-used; the soil is plowed without machines; by hand in some cases, the grapes are hand-picked
The wines are bottled unfiltered nor they are estabilized.
Carodorum Seleccion Especial 2005. Toro.
100% Ungrafted Tinta de Toro +100 year old vines. 1500 kg/Ha
Aging: 18 months in new French Oak casks.
3000 bottles made"

2. Bodega Diaz Bayo Nuestro Ribera del Duero 2005, Score=2+~3

Color is nice dark garnet/ruby. Nose has, again, slight funk like gasoline or diesel, with mint and licorice. Palate has black fruit laced with a smoky note leading to well-integrated tannin. Some felt this wine was a bit too oaky. I thought this one is not as complex or intense as the Carodorum but many of us like this one better. Cab, Cab blend and Malbec were suggested. This is also from Rbera del Duero, Spain and 100% Tempranillo. I almost forgot to mention; our resident linguistic expert, Winepath, said "Nuestro" means "Ours". So here is "Our" wine.

90 points by Jay Miller, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate # 175 (Feb 2008):  
"The talented David Sampedro makes the wine at Diaz Bayo. The 2005 Nuestro is 100% Tempranillo aged for 12 months in French oak. Deep crimson in color, it has a fragrant nose of cedar, pencil lead, spice box, and blackberry. This is followed by a wine with a forward personality, ripe, spicy fruit, sweet tannins, and 1-2 years of cellaring potential. Drink this tasty effort over the next 5-7 years. Importer: Patrick Mata, Ole Imports; www.oleimports.com"

By bodegadiazbayo.com:
"A wine produced with the Tinta del País grape variety (also known as Tempranillo). Malolactic fermentation takes place in oak barrels, then aged for 18 months in French oak barrels.
Grape Variety: Tinta del País (aka Tinta Fino and Tempranillo)
Harvest and Production: The handpicked grapes are harvested in boxes and then refrigerated at 5ºC. A double selection process of clusters, then berries. Malolactic fermentation takes place in new French oak. Ageing: Following malolactic fermentation, it is aged for 18 months in 100% French oak, before bottling."

TASTING NOTES
"Color: A beautiful, powerfully intense, deep red cherry color. Very clean with a youthful color and rich potent legs, evident on the glass. Nose: Intense and very complex. Initially, ripe black fruit appears (blackberries, prunes, etc) that evolve into red fruit with touches akin to balsamic and fragrant herbs. As it evolves, very subtle shades of toast begin to emerge with hints of cocoa and licorice. In the mouth: As it enters the mouth it is clearly a very pleasant, powerful and fleshy wine with good structure. It has a very velvety, smooth mouth feel to it, as ripe black fruits begin to reveal themselves with notes of cocoa and licorice with an underlying subtle veil of toasty smokiness. Ripe fruit flavor dominates the oak. This is a complex wine that has a very long finish."

3.  Poem Cellars Tastevin Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Score=2+

Color is dark garnet. Nose has black cherry and is more classic cab nose. Palate is upfront loaded with black fruit especially back cherry with sweet after taste laced with vanilla and herbs leading to well-integrated smooth tannin and some acidic kick.
 Zin, Merlot were first mentioned and we concluded that this was California cab or Cab blend with a component of Merlot.

It is very difficult to find any information about this wine. It appears this one is trying to be a cult winery and their web site only has a list of their wines and a page to join the mailing list but not any other information. This wine was a small production and only 100 cases were made. We are not sure this winery will attain a cult status judging from this wine and considering the current economic situation.

4. Winepath Cabernet Suavignon 2009 for topping off, no score

Color is light ruby. Nose is fragrant and sweet with medicinal and soapy characters. Palate has nice sweet red fruit and almost effervescent mouth feel leading to mild tannin.  Sweet fruit is the main taste. We were a bit perplexed as to what this was. All agreed that this was the least favorite wines among the wines we tasted. California Zin (because of fragrant nose) was suggested. This turned out to be Winepath home brew for topping off his cask. Although this was made from California Cabernet fruit with the rest of his 09 vintage cab, this batch did not see any oak and was kept in a glass carboy for topping off his grand vin in an oak cask. Although this could not compete with the rest of the wines we tasted, it is still quite drinkable and I bet it is much better than some of the home made wine and certainly 100% better than the Greek wine we tasted.

5. Buehler cabernet sauvignon 2007, Score=2+

Color is dark garnet. Nose has burned caramel. Palate is black fruit predominant with vanilla and moderate tannin. It is a pleasant enough wine but nothing too impressive. We thought this is Cali cab or may be with Merlot.

from Buehler Vineyards:

"Comprised of 100% cabernet sauvignon, our Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from grapes grown on our estate hillside vineyards (30%) in conjunction with grapes from other mature, high-quality, low-yielding Napa Valley cabernet vineyards located on the valley floor. We've found the resulting blend to produce a wine that displays a broad spectrum of aromas, flavors, and textures that cabernet can show in the Napa Valley. The wine is brimming with fruit aromas and flavors biased to the black fruit end of the cabernet spectrum: plums, blackberry, black currant. Rich and full-bodied on the palate, this cabernet drinks well on release but will soften and develop with additional age"

6. Robert Foley Petite Sirah 2007,score=2+~3
 
This one came in a sloped shoulder bottle. Color is very dark almost black. Nose has cracked black pepper and a hint of rubber tire. At this point, this looks and smells like syrah. Palate is rater intense black fruit with plum laced with vanilla but no jus de viande leading to moderate tannin. Nice smooth mouth feel. We all thought this is California Syrah. This turned out to be Robert Foley's petite sirah. Although there is some confusion and controversy about the exact origin and relations of this grape varietal to syrah, DNA studies appear to indicate the majority of California petite sirah is related to Durif rather than syrah.

From Dean and Deluca web page:
"Sourced from one of the best Petite Sirah vineyards in Calistoga, vintner Bob Foley now produces PS for his own line-up. Inky, with ultra-deep blue fruit, this 2007 is a combination of last year's Muscleman and Pepperlan single bottling Petite Sirahs. I highly suggest tasting this Petite Sirah with a rich meal. USA"

7. Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Score=2+

Color is nice dark garnet. Nose has some funk and mineral or rocky dusty notes. Palate is upfront loaded with black fruit laced with chocolate and vanilla and ending in firm tannin.It is nice drinkable wine but nothing spectacular. Our conclusion was California Cab.

winemaker's notes:"Blend: 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Syrah, 1.5% Petite Sirah, 1.5% Cabernet Franc
Rich aromatics of roasted coffee, black and red fruit on the nose lead to flavors of black cherry, black plum and blackberry on the palate. The high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon creates dark, brooding yet structured tannins along with subtle layers of vanilla, bittersweet chocolate and baking spices. This balanced wine offers a well-structured mouthfeel that contributes to a long, toasty oak finish. This Cabernet Sauvignon is a wonderful introduction to Alexander Valley."