Wine tasting on December 4, 2009

We did not have a tasting last Friday because of Thanksgiving. We had a special guest, for this tasting--Uncle-E's father who know which wine he likes and he likes New World Wines unlike Uncle-E. We blind tasted 6 wines. All (except one) are quite excellent and one very interesting and quite a find.

1. Burgess Cellars Ilona Howell Mountain Red Blend 2003, score=3~3+

Color is dark garnet. Nose has lots of berries with very slight earthiness. Palate shows well controlled fruit mostly back fruit, blackberries and blueberries leading to well-integrated but firm tannin. Nice lasting finish.  Cali Cab was first mentioned. Other possibilities mentioned were Spanish, Priorat, Garnacha, Temperanilo, Argentinian Cab+Malbec etc. One of the tasters said he tasted a definite Merlot component. In general, everybody liked this wine. This is a Bordeaux blend from Howell mountain.

Jonathan H. Newman, 92 rating
"This is a very nice Bordeaux blend from a small artisanal  Estate winery located in Napa’s  Howell Mountain. This wine exhibits a nice bouquet of dark cherries, vanilla, licorice and crème de cassis.  Full bodied mountain fruit with dark chocolate, eucalyptus, blackberries and a spice box. This Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc blend was aged 18 months in French oak and bottle aged for several years  as it has just been released. This wine is drinking nicely now, but will be even more expressive over time and should drink well over the next eight years. Pair with a marbled steak, lamb or a roast with Yorkshire pudding."

Winemaker Notes on 2003 Ilona Howell Mountain:
"Our soon to be released 2003 exhibits an intense yet subtle core of mountain-ripened fruit that reminds us of what makes our setting so unique, even amongst our neighbors on Howell Mountain. The 2003 is an estate blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. It has a deep garnet hue and complex aromas of spice, black cherries and balanced levels of vanilla, due to its aging in French oak barrels for 18 months. The full, rich flavors culminate into a lush finish – characteristic of the finest Howell Mountain wines."

The Origins of Ilona:
"Long-time Burgess Cellars veteran Catherine Eddy started Ilona, and explains its origins: "Ilona is an Eastern European name which over time had evolved into Elaine, my mothers name. The woman’s profile on the label comes from an ancient Greek coin I found in Paris, and after reading many stories of Greece, got the impression that the women of that time were both very strong, yet feminine. The label and the name set the right tone for this powerful, but also soft and rounded wine.”

2. Joseph Phelps Syrah 2006, score=2+~3

This one came in a tell-tale slopped shoulder bottle which is made of rather thick heavy glass. Without  even pouring, Piroca proclaimed  that this is California Syrah which is actually correct. Color is very dark almost black with slight blue tinge. Nose has dark chocolate and black pepper. Palate shows very nice upfront black fruit with plum, black pepper (not too peppery, though) with dark chocolate and nice smooth tannin. Nice wine.

BLEND & GRAPE SOURCES:
100% Napa Valley Syrah from the Hyde Vineyard.

HARVEST DATES: October 13, 2006.
WINEMAKING DATA:
"Grapes were harvested at an average 26.0° Brix, fermented in stainless steel tanks, then aged 19 months in a combination of new French oak barrels (53%) and two-year-old French oak (47%) from coopers Ermitage, Saury, Rousseau, Sirugue and Saint Martin. The wine was blended and bottled in June, 2008.

Notes of caramel, nutmeg and heady floral aromas followed by tobacco, white pepper and black plum pave the way for great texture on the palate, velvety tannins and rich earthy flavors yielding to a persistent length."

2006 VINTAGE NOTES:
"The growing season in 2006 started slowly with bud break two weeks behind the historical average and with an abundance of moisture-rich soil from the winter rains. The spring was fairly cool with a significant amount of cloud cover and periodic rain showers. April brought five inches of rain. Bloom dates were behind the average by one week yet conditions were excellent yielding a good fruit set.

There was a record setting 10 day heat wave near the end of July. Most blocks had an exceptionally long veraison period beginning in early August, particularly with Petite Verdot and Merlot. This may have been caused by the extreme temperatures in July during berry formation. During veraison we anticipated the forecasted cooler autumn and took this time to adjust the crop; green harvesting was implemented to ensure ripening was more even."

3. Sugarloaf mountain Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2007, score=3

This was a pleasant surprise. Color is nice dark garnet. Nose has perfume, cherry kirsch and protein (milk whey). Palate initially felt a bit muted but in the second tasting (more air time and warmed up), it is loaded with nice sweet fruit (but not sugarfied) leading to good tannin. It has a good structure with nice long finish. We all felt this is a nice fruity new world style wine. California Cab and Spanish were mentioned. What a pleasant surprise! This is a cab from Maryland. By far the best red we ever tasted among Maryland and Northern Virginia wines (The second best is "Octagon" from Barboursville vineyard in our opinion.) This was submitted by Winepath who had a glass of this wine at Addies restaurant. After finding out what this was, he drove to Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard and got the bottles. It is definitely worth going there for this wine. What a find!

Wine maker's note:
"This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon bottling is the big brother to the previously released 2007 Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. The “Cab Reserve” is dense, heavy and full-bodied with
an intricate composition. It is deeply hued with carmine red and hints of orange and purple, and immediately impresses with aromas of blackberry and cassis, quince, fresh flowers and perfume.
The elegant palate is full and rich with complex notes of pepper and jam, red berries, almond and butter. Big, round tannins and a spine of acidity perfectly balance the lushness of the fruits. The long length leaves behind lingering notes of leather, mocha and black pepper."

4. Shafer Hillside Select 2003, Score=3+~4

Color is nice dark garnet with bluish hue. Nose is very fragrant with black cherry. Good upfront fruit. black cherry, blueberry etc with nice full mid palate with usual compliments of  caramel, lots of vanilla and cinnamon leading to nice well crafted tannin with long finish.  Everybody felt that this is a good example of well-made California cab. We all liked this wine. So, when this was uncovered showing the label of "Pagodes de Cos 1996", nobody could believe their eyes.
"This could not be! This did not taste anything like Bordeaux! etc". This was a prank by Uncle-E. This actually was Shafer Hillside Select 2003. Many of us visited Shafer and know how small, steep and rocky the hillside vineyard is and it is amazing this kind of wine is the result of the fruit grown there. In any case, we felt much better knowing this is Shafer Hillside select. Our palate is not totally bad.

Wine Spectator 93:
"A big, rich, bold and expansive style, with tiers of dense currant, mineral, earth, black cherry, anise and cedary oak flavors that are intense and concentrated, with the tannins showing a raw edge. Young and rambunctious. Needs lots of air or a little time in the cellar. Best from 2008 through 2013."

Parker 95:
"One of the worlds, as well as Napas, most profound Cabernet Sauvignons is the 2,000 or so case production of Shafers Hillside Select. Made from their finest parcels in Stags Leap, the wine spends nearly 32 months in 100% new oak. This is a wine that usually has 20-30 years of aging potential. 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select (just released) shows some graphite and pain grille notes intermixed with creme de cassis, licorice, camphor, and some spice box. Full-bodied, powerful, with fabulous fruit, silky tannins, and an intense mouthfeel, this is a gorgeous wine to drink over the next 20-25 years."

Tanzer Review 93:
"Medium ruby. Aromas of black raspberry, currant, cocoa powder, cedar, graphite, violet, licorice and sweet oak. Lush and very sweet but with lively mint and naphtha notes lifting the flavors of black cherry, dark berries and dark chocolate. Finishes with a firm edge of tannins and acids and yet this wine should give early pleasure. I find a wider range of ripeness here than in the supernal 2002."

5. Chateau Grands Chenes 2004, score=2

Color is dark. Nose has tar and earthy notes but not quite moldy basement. Palate is rather austere with thin midpalate ending in big chewy tannin. Consensus was that this is an old world or European wine. Italian (Brunello or Super Tuscan), Spanish, and Bordeaux were suggested. This was indeed Brodeaux, Medoc.

"Le Château les Grands Chênes est devenue une référence incontournable du Nord Médoc. Dans la lignée des trois millésimes précédents, le 2004 dévoile des arômes bien typés Cabernet. La puissance, la fraîcheur et l’équilibre caractérisent ce vin. Il est doté d’un bon potentiel de garde."

Enough said.

6. Caymus Special Selection 2006, Score=3+~4

This was thrown in at the last moment (not light weight, though). Color is nicely dark with slight blue purple hue. Nose is nice with perfume, fruit, and flowers. Palate has well layered "jammy" fruit, good oak derived flavors of caramel, vanilla and chocolate ending in well integrated but firm tannin with long finish. This was bit too warm when served. We all knew what this was especially knowing the shape and color of the bottle and this one was contributed by Piroca. Excellent example of good California Cab. Shafer Hillside Selct and Caymus Special Selection in one tasting are indeed extravagant (even for us).

94 points Wine Spectator:
"Complex, riveting aromas of spice, cola and sassafras join wild berry, spice, black cherry and sage notes in this full-bodied, intensely flavored, tightly focused and very persistent display of fruit that's long and lingering." (03/09)

92 points and two stars from the Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine:
"Both of the Caymus Cabernets reviewed in this issue embrace unabashed ripeness as a defining trait, but, in this instance, the wine's rush to ripeness is balanced by a wealth of very sweet oak and well-extracted fruit. Plush and full-bodied and shot through with cassis and cocoa, the wine more than makes up in richness for what it may lack in finesse, and its slight edge of last-minute heat is easy enough to forgive. Fans of unabashedly expressive Cabernets will find lots to like here." (12/08)