Vintage Point Cellars

• April 2009

  “Lots of Interest” Morrell Wine Auctions Live Internet Auction http://auction.morrellwineauctions.com/248/index.jsp?auctionId=248 Wednesday, April 22nd 2009 Auction starts at 11:00 a.m. (EST) ~~~ Editor’s note: First off I humbly apologize for any (and all) grammatical... Read more “Lots of Interest” Morrell Wine Auctions Live Internet Auction http://auction.morrellwineauctions.com/248/index.jsp?auctionId=248 Wednesday, April 22nd 2009 Auction starts at 11:00 a.m. (EST) ~~~ Editor’s note: First off I humbly apologize for any (and all) grammatical and/or spelling errors- had to bang this one out in quick-time and whilst drinking copious amounts of Folgers (of the de-decaffeinated kind). Don't let my sloppy writing style disuade you in any way from heading over to Morrell's website to check out the catalog for yourself. There’s some interesting stuff in this sale, the second of the year from Morrell, including some lowered prices for some of the typically higher (and thereby “out of my reach”) end items from Bordeaux, California, and Italy. Bit of white Burgundy too at the end there that has me thinking summer. So head over if any of these sound interesting to you, and browse around. As Wall Street begins to recover, the prices for wine are at a buying point as I type. Go get something to share & imbibe, and have fun with it. That's where I'm headed. Sincerely, Christopher ~~~ Lot 15 10 bottles, early & mid-80’s Cali cabs... Burgess Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Vintage Selection - Vintage 1981 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle Diamond Creek Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Rock Terrace - Vintage 1982 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle Diamond Creek Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Volcanic Hill - Vintage 1984 Napa Valley, Level is neck-shoulder. 1 Bottle "The 1984s appear to be the last of the big, bold, full-bodied, super-concentrated Diamond Creek. The wines produced after 1984 have been more polite and oenologically correct. What a shame! The enormous 1984 displays no signs of age in its dark, saturated ruby/purple color. The nose exhibits some evolution, with cedar, leather, and jammy fruit scents beginning to emerge. Still frightfully tannic, full-bodied, and highly extracted, this backward, chewy wine is one of the slowest evolving 1984s." 94 points, RMP. Fisher Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coach Insignia - Vintage 1985 Sonoma County, Two levels are neck-shoulder. Labels: one is wet stained, one is bin soiled. 2 Bottles Navarro Correas, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coleccion Privada - Vintage 1985 Mendoza, Level is high shoulder. 1 Bottle Quivira, Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley - Vintage 1990 Dry Creek Valley, Two levels are high-mid shoulder. 2 Bottles Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon - Vintage 1985 Napa Valley, Level is neck-shoulder. 1 Bottle Sterling Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve - Vintage 1983 Napa Valley, Level is neck-shoulder. Capsule is corroded. 1 Bottle Above 10 bottles $320 - 500 Opening at $260 Lot #18 Château Chasse-Spleen - Vintage 1989 Moulis-en-Médoc, Six levels are neck-shoulder or better. 6 Bottles "Make no mistake about it, the 1989 Chasse-Spleen is the finest wine this property has produced since their great 1949. This is a spectacularly rich, powerful, authoritative example of the vintage that can compete with and even surpass many of the most famous names. Layer upon layer of concentrated, sweet, expansive, blackcurrant fruit is wrapped in a frame of toasty new oak and decent acidity. An awesome wine!" 91 points, RMP. Above 6 bottles Opening at $240 Lot #39 Château Léoville-Barton - Vintage 1989 St.-Julien, Deuxième Cru Classé Excellent Appearance. (*92 pts, Wine Spectator) 6 Bottles $380 - $700 Lot #117 Far Niente, Cabernet Sauvignon - Vintage 1990 Napa Valley, Two capsules are slightly corroded. 2 Magnums $160 - $300 Lot # 160 Silver Oak Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander - Vintage 1992 Alexander Valley, Two labels are scuffed. 5 Bottles "It possesses that tell-tale Silver Oak, lavishly oaky, Provencal herb, sweet, smoky, jammy black-cherry and cassis-scented nose. Full-bodied, opulent, and succulent..." 92 points, RMP. Above 5 Bottles $200 - $400 Lot # 200 Chassagne-Montrachet, L. Latour - Vintage 1989 Côte de Beaune, Seven levels are 1" below cork or better. Five labels are lightly bin soiled. 7 Bottles $110 - $220 Lot # 221 Behrens & Hitchcock, Syrah, Homage to Ed Oliveira, Alder Springs Vineyard - Vintage 2002 Mendocino County, Excellent Appearance. 5 Bottles Behrens & Hitchcock, Syrah, Homage to Ed Olivera, Alder Springs Vineyard - Vintage 2003 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 3 Bottles Above 8 bottles $190 - $300 Lot # 268 Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Insignia - Vintage 2005 Napa Valley, (92 points, WS, even higher from Parker) Excellent Appearance. 2 Bottles $180 - $280 Lot # 388 Château Meyney - Vintage 1979 St.-Estèphe, Level is high shoulder. Label is lightly bin soiled. 1 Magnum Dominus Estate - Vintage 1989 Napa Valley, Label is badly torn, wet stained, bin soiled. Capsule is slightly corroded. 1 Magnum Above 2 magnums $120 - $240 Lot # 478 Hourglass, Cabernet Sauvignon - Vintage 2003 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 6 Bottles $220 - $400 Lot # 562 Château Léoville-Barton - Vintage 1996 St.-Julien, Deuxième Cru Classé Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle "This impressive wine is a classic. Although backward, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color in addition to abundant black currant fruit intertwined with spicy oak and truffle-like scents. The wine is brilliantly made, full-bodied, and tightly-structured with plenty of muscle and outstanding concentration and purity." 92 points, RMP. Château Léoville-Poyferré - Vintage 1995 St.-Julien, Deuxième Cru Classé Two labels are lightly bin soiled. 2 Bottles Clos du Marquis - Vintage 1990 St.-Julien, Three levels are very high shoulder or better. Three labels are bin soiled. 3 Bottles Above 6 bottles $280 - $520 Lot # 567 Bonny Doon Vineyard, Le Cigare Volant - Vintage 1999 Santa Cruz, Label is bin soiled. 1 Bottle Miner, Cabernet Sauvignon - Vintage 1998 Napa Valley, One capsule is nicked. 3 Bottles Robert Sinskey Vineyards, Vineyard Reserve, Proprietary Red - Vintage 1999 Napa Valley, Four labels are scuffed. 4 Bottles Steele Wines, Syrah, Stymie - Vintage 2000 Lake County, Excellent Appearance. 4 Bottles Above 12 bottles $160 - $320 Lot # 610 Château St. Jean, Cinq Cépages - Vintage 1994 Sonoma County, Three labels are lightly bin soiled. 7 Bottles Paradigm, Cabernet Sauvignon - Vintage 2000 Napa Valley, Label is lightly bin soiled. 1 Bottle Above 8 bottles $260 - $500 Lot # 618 Turley Wine Cellars, Zinfandel, Pesenti Vineyard - Vintage 2001 Paso Robles, Excellent Appearance. 4 Bottles Turley Wine Cellars, Zinfandel, Pesenti Vineyard - Vintage 2002 Paso Robles, Excellent Appearance. 2 Bottles Turley Wine Cellars, Zinfandel, Pesenti Vineyard - Vintage 2003 Paso Robles, Excellent Appearance. 2 Bottles Turley Wine Cellars, Zinfandel, Pesenti Vineyard - Vintage 2004 Paso Robles, Excellent Appearance. 2 Bottles Above 10 bottles $220 - $420 Lot # 655 J. Rochioli Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Estate - Vintage 1996 Russian River Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle J. Rochioli Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Estate - Vintage 1997 Russian River Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle J. Rochioli Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Estate - Vintage 2000 Russian River Valley, Excellent Appearance. 2 Bottles J. Rochioli Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Estate - Vintage 2001 Russian River Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle J. Rochioli Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Estate - Vintage 2002 Russian River Valley, Excellent Appearance. 3 Bottles (89, Steven Tanzer: As reviewed by International Wine Cellar in Issue 114, May/June 2004 ($41) Dark, bright red. Very ripe but sappy aromas of strawberry, raspberry and tangy baking spices. Dense but juicy and firm-edged, with refreshing flavors of red berries, cherry pit, chocolate, spices and earth complicated by a note of underbrush. Not especially pliant, but nuanced, persistent and firmly built.) Above 8 bottles $260 - $450 Lot # 669 Lokoya, Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain - Vintage 1999 Napa Valley, One label is nicked. 3 Bottles Lokoya, Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain - Vintage 2000 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 2 Bottles Above 5 bottles $280 - $480 Lot # 730 Carillon de l'Angélus - Vintage 2000 St.-Emilion, Excellent Appearance. (***Editor’s note: This is the second label of Chateau Angelus- which received a whopping 96 point rating (RMP) for their first label, 2000 Chateau Angelus. Think about it.) Above 10 Bottles $160 - $300 Lot # 737 Château Gruaud-Larose - Vintage 1986 St.-Julien, Deuxième Cru Classé Level is neck-shoulder. Label is lightly bin soiled. Capsule is slightly corroded, has evidence of slight past seepage. 1 Bottle "From the first time I tasted this wine in cask, I have thought it to be among the blockbusters of the vintage. It has a black/purple color, mammoth structure, a fabulous wealth of fruit, and a finish that seems to last several minutes. This is indeed first-growth quality, but then, when, in the last decade, has a Gruaud-Larose not matched the quality of the first-growths?" 94 points, RMP. Château Talbot - Vintage 1985 St.-Julien, Quatrième Cru Classé Two levels are neck-shoulder. Two labels are lightly bin soiled. 2 Bottles Château Talbot - Vintage 1986 St.-Julien, Quatrième Cru Classé Level is high-mid shoulder. Label is lightly bin soiled. Capsule is slightly corroded, has evidence of slight past seepage. 1 Bottle "It's my gut feeling that the 1986 is, along with the 1982, the finest Talbot made at this estate since the legendary 1945. The fact that there are 40,000 cases of this wine is good news for the consumer, as there will be plenty to go around. The wine, which has been so special since the first taste from cask, is classically structured, with a penetrating fragrance of peppery, spicy, weedy black currants and tar, an enormous concentration of flavor on the palate, and staggering length." 96 points, RMP. La Croix du Casse - Vintage 1995 Pomerol, Excellent Appearance. 4 Bottles Above 8 bottles $280 - $520 Lot # 772 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Clos des Papes - Vintage 2000 Rhône, Excellent Appearance, owc. 12 Bottles $380 - $700 Lot # 828 Bahans-Haut-Brion - Vintage 2000 Pessac-Léognan, (Ed. Note: Second label of Chateau Haut-Brion, which received a 96 pt. review from Tanzer for the 2000 vintage. Food for thought). Excellent Appearance, owc. 12 Bottles $480 - $850 Lot # 864 Puligny-Montrachet, L. Latour - Vintage 2005 Côte de Beaune, Excellent Appearance. 12 Bottles $190 - $350 And those are just a few Lots of Interest. ~~~ Disclaimer: “Lots of Interest” should only be used as an introduction, or guide to buying wine at auction. I would encourage anyone interested in purchasing wine at auction - ANY AUCTION- to fully read the rules and regulations posed by each auction house respectively.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic "Lots of Interest", Morrell... by ChipDWood

  
  

• April 2009

  It’s not often that one gets a second chance with wines like this.  Way back when, in my early years of wine discovery I had the distinct fortune of being able to patronize a small wine shop in Watermill New York. I forget the name of the shop, Watermill Wines I would guess, but... Read more It’s not often that one gets a second chance with wines like this.  Way back when, in my early years of wine discovery I had the distinct fortune of being able to patronize a small wine shop in Watermill New York. I forget the name of the shop, Watermill Wines I would guess, but do recall the proprietor, George. Watermill, being part of the Hamptons, had a split personality in the 1980's. It was frenetic resort community for 90 days of the year, who can forget Danceteria in Watermill, and a lazy, farming and fishing community for the remainder of the year. A desolate and insular community with modest needs for a fine wine store at that. Well George took full advantage of his winter doldrums and would rent a trailer and drive his truck out to California each year to stock up on exotic and rare wines. Wines that otherwise would never see the light of a summer day in the Hamptons. Wines that appeared, to the eyes of a budding aficionado, like treasures only seen in the few, out of print, books that together constituted the entire resource for exploring California wines. Wines that short of going to California, or George’s unassuming Watermill wine shop, would have to remain hidden mysteries And so it was that I first stumbled into George’s, hidden as it was off Montauk highway, in search of something new to excite my palate. Like many shops of the times there were cases of wines artfully arrayed in the front window, albeit with an aged film of yellow plastic, no doubt applied as some magical defense mechanism to protect the inexpensive Chianti and Chablis display wines from the ruinous rays of the sun. I was then, as I remain today, primarily interested in Italian wines, and let me tell you George’s shop was woefully deficient in that department. But I was nothing if not thorough so I began to scan the rack just beyond the register. Hmmm, this was different. 1974 Heitz Martha’s, 1971 BV Georges de la Tour, 1968 Montebello, some funky bottle of Casa de Sonoma Cabernet bottled in 1947 but just recently recorked. Wow, what was going on here? Of course the crazy selection got me interested and George took ample time to answer my questions. To make a long story short George took very kindly to a young, enthusiastic wine geek and allowed me to exchange some organizational activities for tremendous discounts on wine. I still have bottles from George like the 1975 Gemello Mountain Cabernet, 1974 Inglenook Charbono and 1977 Montevina Special Selection Zinfandel that were glorious stepping stones on my path to full fledged wine geekdom but I never was able to get him to cut me a deal on those bottles kept close at hand by the register. The Casa De Sonoma held a particular fascination for me. Bottled in 1947, it said so right on the label, yet recorked and released only in 1982, this would easily be the oldest California wine I would have tried but the price was a breathtaking $40. That’s in 1985 folks, like I said breathtaking. I was 20 and that $40 would have bought cases of beer, heck you could even get a case of wine for that money, and decent wine at that. I discussed the bottle with George several times, holding it and taking a peak at the shriveled cork attacked to each bottle in a little sack. George told me the story of the wine, or at least a story of the wine. According to George the wine was made by The El Gavilan Winery in 1941 but before it could be bottled WWII broke out and operation at the winery pretty much ceased as all able bodied men were drafted. Once the war came to an end, or at least when the winemakers’ hitch was up, the proprietor of El Gavilan took advantage of the GI bill to better himself. Well by 1947 the betterment was in full swing and the now defunct El Gavilan Winery was sold to Sebastiani with a few barrels of this 1941 still intact.  It was tasted and deemed to be special enough to warrant bottling but without a reputation, or existing winery, sales of this “premium” wine were dreadfully slow. So slow in fact that in 1982, when the cork had begun to fail there was still enough wine on hand to make recorking worthwhile and during the recorking it was discovered that they had a verifiable California Classic on their hands, worthy of the exorbitant price. Well it was a great story with a kernel or two of truth to it but as it turns out not the real deal. I was not to discover this for almost 25 years, for while I never bought a bottle of the Casa de Sonoma from George I never forgot that wine. Imagine my surprise when I noticed a non-vintage Casa de Sonoma listing while scanning Winebid earlier this year.  Clicking on the link confirmed that this was the same wine and the starting bid was $15! There were several lots available and hoping to insure that I got at least one winning bid I placed increasingly high max bids on each lot. With several days to go until the auction closed I could monitor my success and, if need be, raise my bid. Well I guess I was the only one talking to George about this wine since Sunday came and I won all the bottles I had bid on for $15 each! Even with the buyer’s premium and shipping I was looking at less than $25 per bottle, a steal. Within a couple of weeks the bottles arrived, looking as intriguing as they had almost 25 years ago. I know one is supposed to allow wine to rest after transport, travel shock and all that, but I couldn’t wait so the weekend after they arrived I was toting along a bottle to a gathering of like-minded winegeeks. Not knowing what lay in store I chose to not decant this wine. The cork, being only 28 years old, was fairly easy to extract intact. Apon first pour the wine had a little too much of a bronze tone than I would have liked to see but with air it actually turned a bit redder and fresher.  On the nose and palate this exhibits a very typical array of very aged notes, faded backing spices, beef bouillon, cola, and dusty earth yet it does retain a core of black fruit and has a surprising fresh and bright feel to it. It is no powerhouse but it’s not dead yet.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable bottle in fact, with enough complexity to remain engaging and as it evolved in the glass one could only wonder what made it’s way into this Duraglass 4/5 quart bottle. And wonder I did. The next day I was on the phone with Sebastiani. Vineyards. There was that informative sticker on the bottle announcing that my wine was in fact “From the personal cellars of August Sebastiani - Recorked at Sebastiani Vineyards May 1982”. If anyone knew anything it would be Sebastiani. I spoke with people in the media department as well as the winemaker at Sebastiani and they could offer no information. I thought it strange that this most intriguing and unique wine, perhaps the most intriguing and unique ever from Sebastiani, was now bottiglia non grata. Could I be the keeper of the flame, the holder of the truth, the last man living who had the story? Of course not, I just needed to dig a little deeper. And deep I dug, discovering an interview conducted in  2000 by Carole Hicke of one Doug L Davis entitled “HISTORY OF SEBASTIANI VINEYARDS, 1955-PRESENT”. It seems that Doug L Davis was the Vice President and Executive Winemaster of Sebastiani. Well, I thought, that’s the man I need to talk with. Doug spent over 45 years with Sebastiani, choosing to leave in 2003 during the sale of the winery to constellation brands. Tracking him down was fairly easy and I was fortunate to spend about a half hour on the phone with him last month finally finding out the truth regarding this unique bottling of wine. According to Doug the El Gavilan bottling got it’s name from a Sebastiani property that was in Santa Rosa “down by the railroad tracks.” It was selected lots of 1941 Cabernet that was bottled in 1947 along with other lots of Burgundy, Chablis and Sauternes! Being 1947, wines labeled as Cabernet needed only to contain 51% Cabernet with the remainder being primarily Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah and Mondeuse. While these might seem an odd assortment one has to factor in the way Sebastiani weathered the storm of Prohibition: by shipping thick-skinned grapes, (Carignane, Petite Sirah, Mondeuse), throughout the country to home winemakers. Back then Sebastiani was almost exclusively a bulk operation and the vast majority of the wines they produced were dessert wines, but there were small lots of table wine produced, though even these limited quantities failed to find a market. These earliest table wines were produced during the transitionary period as Sebastiani founder Samuele passed control of the property over to his son August Sebastiani. Perhaps to make a name for himself, or simply for the heck of it August chose to bottle about 1000 cases of the 1941 Cabernet and chose the Casa de Sonoma label, Casa de Sonoma being the home August had built for himself in 1947.  The wine was bottled in the El Gavilan winery, which was also owned by Sebastiani at that time. These 1000 cases were then brought to Sonoma and laid down in old stable on the Sebastiani property. Doug’s first exposure to this wine occurred in his first year with Sebastiani as the flood of 1955 required all hands on deck to help move the cases to higher ground! Fortunately, or unfortunately, the wine pretty much just sat there in those stables after that. It was never actively marketed, though it was sold through the winery and given away as gifts. August Sebastiani passed away in 1980 and when the contents of the winery were inventoried it became apparent that the corks in these bottles had begun to fail so a recorking program was undertaken. Each bottle was inspected, a few were deemed healthy enough to be left alone and were retained by the winery, but the remainder were individually opened and inspected. The entire lot, which by this point was about half of what had originally been bottled, was sorted out, with spoiled bottles being discarded and sound bottles being topped off and recorked. Each bottle had its original cork and paper capsule placed in a bag and attached to the bottle to help maintain each bottle’s authenticity and historical significance. What was finally released in 1982 was the best of what remained of a wine that was “never great” but did represent a significant effort that was justified only by the high quality that the 1941 vintage represented. And that’s the real story behind this bottling. It’s a lot of history for one small bottle and a testament to what California was capable of, and achieved half a century ago. I thank Samuele Sebastini for making the wine possible, August Sebastiani for making the wine, and Doug Davis for making sure the story of the wine was not lost to time. Sometimes you do get a second chance. In this case I also have a third, and a fourth, and a fifth… P.S. Gotta love that back label. Well chilled indeed! Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic A Second Chance - Casa de... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• February 2009

  Morrell Wine Auctions has a sharp looking auction scheduled live and in real-time online tomorrow. You can get to their home page by going here: http://auction.morrellwineauctions.com/ !http://auction.morrellwineauctions.com/images/247/247bumper.jpg! But I wanted to take a sec to... Read moreMorrell Wine Auctions has a sharp looking auction scheduled live and in real-time online tomorrow. You can get to their home page by going here: http://auction.morrellwineauctions.com/ !http://auction.morrellwineauctions.com/images/247/247bumper.jpg! But I wanted to take a sec to point out a lot that caught my eye: Lot #410 http://auction.morrellwineauctions.com/lotdescription.do?auctionId=247&page=1&lotId=95866 "Paul Hobbs Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon - Vintage 2002 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle Penfolds, Shiraz, Kalimna Bin 28 - Vintage 2000 South Australia, Labels: two are lightly bin soiled, one is lightly scuffed. 2 Bottles Silver Oak Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa - Vintage 2001 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Magnum Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, Fay - Vintage 1996 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Cabernet Sauvignon, SLV - Vintage 1996 Napa Valley, Excellent Appearance. 1 Bottle Above 5 bottles and 1 magnum Estimate: $300 - $450 This is the kind of thing that one often finds at auction. A MAGNUM of the '01 Silver Oaks Napa, thrown in with bottles of the 1996 Stags' Leap Wine Cellars "SLV" & "Fay", and bottles of the Penfolds & Hobbs cab. It's like a joyous little grab bag, in good shape, with only a tinge of label scuffing on the Aussie to keep it from interest from the retailers - which is a GOOD THING for the drinkers in the audience. Finding lots with only superficial damage is a fantastic way to pick up wines for less- especially at auction, as retailers & brokers who may have interest in the wine are often scared away from things like bin soiled or torn labels. And where pretty labels may please the eye- higher levels and clean capsules are what really please the palate. Exit lot: Was tempted to keep this one to myself, but my conscious got the best of me: Lot #682 http://auction.morrellwineauctions.com/lotdescription.do?auctionId=247&page=1&lotId=96138 "Clos du Marquis - Vintage 2000 St.-Julien, Excellent Appearance. 6 Bottles "One of the great sleepers of the vintage and probably the best Clos de Marquis I have ever tasted, this wine could easily compete with many of the vintage's classified growths. Dense, opaque purple-colored, with creme de cassis, vanilla, and cherry notes, medium to full body, an unctuous texture, low acidity, and a more evolved style than its bigger sibling, Léoville-Las Cases..." 91 points, RMP." Estimate: $240 - $350 (already at $280)..." I'm probably going to ruin the guy's day that had this bid to $280... but even for the high of $350, the baby brother to the 2000 Leoville-Las-Cases would cruise in under $70 after premium and before tax: http://www.snooth.com/wine/clos-du-marquis-2000/ ...Ya know what I'm sayin'? And those are just a few lots of interest.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Lots of Interest: Morrell... by ChipDWood

  
  

• December 2008

  Okay, winos.  I am going to try in earnest to be short and sweet, like a good dessert wine, because I know we are all busy planning our holiday engagements.  However, if you have read an installment or two of my previous posts then you know I tend to ramble on.  So, today I want... Read more Okay, winos.  I am going to try in earnest to be short and sweet, like a good dessert wine, because I know we are all busy planning our holiday engagements.  However, if you have read an installment or two of my previous posts then you know I tend to ramble on.  So, today I want to wish you all a very healthy and happy holiday season with good (wine) drinking.  And implore you to consider proposing theme drinking when you are planning on raising a glass or two with family and friends this holiday.  Theme drinking when it comes to wine is nothing new.  You set guidelines to the wines you will drink on a particular evening.  Not only is it adventuresome to try and find the wines, but it is also educational and will hopefully expand your palate along the way.  For example…. I hosted a Christmas dinner party with my best Napa friends. I won’t bore you with how I came up with the program for this dinner party, but, in short, it was a detailed look at our names and how the letters translated into numbers.  I always wanted a phone number like Transylvania 6-5000, but in this instance I was able to come up with something equally exciting, vintage 2002.  It made sense, 2002 was a difficult vintage worldwide, but in Napa and Sonoma we were pretty safe with regards to quality.  And living in said wine country, wines from this vintage should be readily available to us, or at least in our own private cellars.  So, the menu was set and my guests were required to bring a wine or two from this vintage.  Here’s how it played out.  Six drinkers, eight bottles of wine. Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs. A staple in my sparkling wine drinking (from any vintage).  Arguably the best Methode Champenoise made in America and it paired well with Lemon and Rosemary marinated Goat Cheese, Mustard and Gruyere Crisps and Butter and Parmigiano Fennel. Aubert Chardonnay, Ritchie Vineyard.  Heavy lemon cream and honeydew.  A transition wine, or an aperitif wine, while we moved to the table for a Roasted Carrot and Beet Salad with Arugula and Blood Oranges coupled with a Leek and Celery Root shot of Soup.  The Aubert was a weighty white wine that would have competed with the soup and salad; so, I am glad we transitioned and opened a Fernand & Laurent Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Grandes Ruchottes 1er Cru that had the perfect amount of oxidation and the perfect amount of acidity to counter roasted root vegetables. Before the main course of roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna we needed to continue transitioning.  Five red wines sat before us and it was good to taste the wines with and without the food interaction, especially since 2002 in Napa (and Australia) were very ripe, extracted wines; not your every-hour sippers.  Even the Spottswoode Cabernet seemed a little out of style for the reference point Cabernet Estate in St. Helena.  However much intense fruit there was present in this wine, it was still balanced and elegant.  If you are one who bases quality on evenings such as this, with regards to how much wine remains in the bottle at the end of the night, this was the clear winner.  Other reds included a Gemstone Cabernet (with its typical rich, black fruit accentuated with hints of toast over a textured finish); Larkmead Solari Cabernet (more reserved and elegant than the Gemstone; although still a bit tight and needing food to help open its core of cassis and bitter sweet chocolate tannins); Two Hands Shiraz, Samantha’s Garden Clare Valley (what a bruiser, even decanting did little to offset the floral power and oak influence in this wine); it was an intense wine with a lot of excitement factor, it reminded me of the Oscar-Meyer quality of Cayuse’s Bionic Frog. The final red was a Barbour whose elegant herb and tobacco leaf structure was a welcomed surprise from the powerful, intense and concentrated tablemates.  All good showings and I was ever impressed with my friends for finding the joy in drinking wines that we often read about. The meal finished out of (vintage) character with a Passito from Villagrande in Sicily (Malvasia delle Lipari).  The color of this wine was an amazing amber and (although a summer sipper from my days in Sicily) was paired with an eggnog Crème Brulee, finished with a Nutella Grenache Ice Cream Sandwich. The night was long and delicious and with the exchange of some presents by the tree and some carols played on the piano, it was a total success.  And I wish you all the same holiday wine-drinking happiness and success in the New Year.  Please share your thoughts about drinking this holiday season (already experienced or pre-planned) and see you all on the other side of the New Year. Dan Petroski is Assistant Winemaker at Larkmead Vineyards in Napa Valley. Dan has an MBA from New York University and worked as an Ad Exec in New York for several years, before switching it up and trading his suit for a move out west.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Holiday Themes by Dan

  
  

• November 2008

  Wines tasted: 1959 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 84pts 1967 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 82pts 1972 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92pts 1978 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89pts 1981 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 96pts 1983 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91pts 1985... Read moreWines tasted: 1959 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 84pts 1967 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 82pts 1972 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92pts 1978 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89pts 1981 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 96pts 1983 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91pts 1985 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89pts 1988 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91pts 1989 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93pts 1990 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 88pts 1991 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89pts It was great to have the chances to revisit so many pre-1990 vintages of Beaucastel again. It has been about 5 years since we last took a look at these vintages in such a comprehensive manner. And these wines have stood the test of time. It’s always with a bit of trepidation that one approaches a tasting that includes so many older bottles. Beaucastel, like many wines, can be very trying in these situations. Not only is there the brett issue to deal with, and the extreme variation that storage vagaries can yield, but the cepage of Beaucastel can augment the barnyard character of these wines in ways that are off-putting to some. A very traditional blended wine, Beaucastel takes advantage of all 13 varieties of grapes that are allowed in Chateauneuf du Pape. While most of the region’s wine consist predominantly of, and dominated are by Grenache, Beaucastel has always used very high percentages of Mourvedre, with it’s leathery, earthy tones, and spicy Syrah in the blend. Typically a full third Mourvedre with a corresponding percent of Grenache, 10% or so of Syrah and the remainder consisting of the additional allowable varieties, which for the sake of completeness are: Counoise, Cinsault, Muscardin, Vaccares, Terret Noir, then the whites; Roussane, Bourbelenc, Picpoul, Clairette and Picardin. And yes I had to look that up in order to complete the list! The current owners at Beaucastel, the Perrin Family, have had a family hand on the tiller for a century continuously improving the property whether through expanding vineyard holdings, or diligently working among the vines and in the cellar until Beaucastel emerged at the very pinnacle of Chateauneuf producers. While a somewhat atypical style, influenced as it is by the impact of the Mourvedre, Beaucastel is none-the-less a benchmark producer for the region. Production at the domaine adheres to a rather natural viewpoint, eschewing as they do chemical fertilizers and pesticide treatments preferring instead to return to the soil what it has given up by composting the waste from both wine production and the farm’s animals. This natural philosophy is also applied in the cellars where the hand picked fruit is sorted and selected before being vinified separately. The grapes are allowed to macerate for up to two weeks in enamel-lined vats before being drawn off the skins. Once each varietal wine has completed its traditional fermentation, the wines are blended and then aged in large, neutral wood barrels to allow for each element of the wine to integrate into the harmonious whole. While the southern Rhone can be a searingly hot place to grow grapes, Beaucastel manages to retain admirable freshness in most vintages. The adept blending of varieties certainly helps in this regard, but the poor soils at the domaine certainly add an element of stress to the fruit. These rocky soils, rich in limestone are covered with alluvial debris, yield a nutrient poor growing medium with exceptional drainage. While this no-doubt helps the vines in wet years, it forces the roots to dig deep in search of water. This paucity of freely available water can help slow the growth of grapes keeping the resultant wine full flavored with bright acidity and fine mineral notes. With vines averaging 50 years of age here it is no wonder that they have adapted so well to their circumstances, yielding a series of profound wines that is matched by few other bottling in the region, much less the world. While Beaucastel is certainly coming off a remarkable string of recent vintages they will have to wait for a future tasting. It would simply be too much of a distraction to try and attempt a 20 or 25 wine vertical tasting with these rich deep wines. The range of vintages we focused on last night, 1959-1991, provided great exposure not only to the evolutionary path of these fine wines but also to the distinct character of each year. Truth be told some of the younger wines, while delicious, really deserve a few more years in the cellar and if we had proceeded with younger wines still we would have quickly come to a point where all nuance and detail of the wines was still obscured by baby fat fruit and structure. So without further ado - the wines in the order tasted. We actually began the evening with a white 2000 Trimbach Vendage Tardives Gewurtztraminer Opening with sweet apricot, almond, honey and pollen notes on the nose this gained an underlay of blue slate with a touch of graphite like spice. In the mouth this was fairly sweet and very close to not having enough acidity to support that sugar but in the end it pulled it off with precarious balance. Rich notes of orange marmalade and tropical candy on the palate that yield to a tangerine flush of lychee on the moderately long finish. Drinking well now I see no reason to hold this. Drink 2008-2011 89pts 1959 Beaucastel - Opening with a very evolved nose this smells deeply sweet with fairly maderized tones and notes of hickory smoke, dried mushroom and damp cigar butt. With time turning maltier and perhaps a touch cleaner this gains a bit of a cooked tomato/ketchup tone. Sweet and full on entry with still a distinct note of cherry fruit this is soft but volatile in the mouth giving an impression of heat on the palate. The nose ebbs and flows but the palate merely fades, drying out and turning more medicinal while retaining the candied sweetness edge to the earthy flavors and faint tone of flat root beer. An interesting wine, not quite dead but very evolved 84pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-rouge-1959/ 1972 Beaucastel - The nose starts out smelling old and delicate with a hint of shattered candy, gently sweet yet sharp and pointy. This builds slowly but steadily adding dried herbs that are a touch green with a faded tarragon note, then tones of old wood and spice, black pepper and beef jerky become prominent and segue into lovely notes of distant cigar smoke and balsamic candle with a coy core of candied blackberry and green cardamom gaining a gentle assertiveness. In the mouth this is lovely and pure right off the bat. The great acidity keeps the wine bright and fresh with tart red fruits dominating the palate and gently edged with black spices. A hovering sweetness crosses the palate and leads to a long, sinewy finish. Very well preserved this benefits from a touch of VA adding a bit of lift and complexity on the backend and leading to the autumnal tones on the finish that recall smoked nuts and drying leaves. A surprising success from a vintage that no one ever talks about. Delicious and fascinating bottle but drink em up, as I would guess we got lucky with this one. 92pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-1972/ 1978 Beaucastel - With this bottle we definitely moved into a riper as well as younger range of wine. Richly scented with assertive notes of smoke, leather, sweet bay leaf and sour plum, this also had a fine note of classic Beaucastel barnyard. There is a subtle tone of green herb and a bit of toast under the jammy black currant fruits. With air a whiff of iron emerges and the wine takes on a darker personality with roast meat, olive brine, espresso crema and licorice tones adding complexity. This was a disappointment in the mouth after the impressive aromatics. A touch lean and muted in the mouth this had a nice balanced mouthfeel but only hint of red fruits on the mid-palate with an average finish that offered rather low intensity flavors. Mediocre, was it the bottle? 89pts based mostly on the nose. http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-1978/ 1967 Beaucastel - Very volatile and dusty with old faded, brittle cigar wrapper, ehlmers glue, and even a touch of yogurt on the nose. This freshened up a touch revealing it’s preserved red fruits and menthol topnotes but also had a raw green element that recalled freshly cut wood and seaweed and developed a rather intense note of off-putting quinine. In the mouth this was blunt. It was lean and focused but extremely volatile with modest notes of dried herbs and autumnal leaves enhanced by a candied medicinal tone. The low point of the evening 82pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateauneuf-du-pape-chateau-beaucastel-1967/ 1981 Beaucastel - Now we were talking. The huge nose bursts from the glass with a classic array of barnyard, leather, black fruit, smoky spices and smoked meat. There is a very minor note of shoe polish volatility and enough brett to add a bit of poop but it is perfectly measured and easily buffered by the intense fruit. Subtle notes of old coffee, nori, green anise seed and nutmeg add complexity and depth. This offers a big round entry with incipient sweetness. The black fruits have the subtlest candied edge and nice note of dried herbs for contrast. The fruit up front gains a bit of brightness veering off toward the red currant/pomegranate end of the spectrum and the wine gains fine spice and earth tones on the backend that lead to a long finish that plays the sweet off the savory perfectly. Simply great with good length, fine balance, and a fresh transparent character that is captivating My Wine of the Night, as it was for many and in no danger of falling off the big cliff though this was bought on release and stored very well. 2008-2016 96pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-rouge-1981/ 1985 Beaucastel - With a very youthful initial pop of butter tinged graham cracker this quickly settles down revealing sweet and sour cherried fruit with medicinal and root beer tones. A bit of alcoholic heat compared to the older wines. There is a toffeed sweetness to the nose conveying a sense of ripeness though this offers up nice minerality and fine complexity with its gamey, peppery, black tea notes. In the mouth this is it’s typical round and friendly self. The acidity is on the soft side and the tannins are fine and ripe. Filled with relatively simple black fruits this is fun but lacks complexity though it does finish with nice black spice to complement the black fruits. A fine wine but lacking in this company 2008 - 2016 89pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateauneuf-du-pape-chateau-beaucastel-1985/ 1983 Beaucastel - This was a bit of a bretty bottle with rubbery, band-aid notes but with many layers of red meat, red wild berry fruit, evolved mushroom notes that handled the brett well. Evolving positively in the glass this gained some fecund soil notes as the raspberry tones gained in intensity and revealed measured tones of licorice and leather with a gentle yet distinct underlay of dried flowers. Just a touch rustic in the mouth with slightly gritty, austere tannins, the fruit retains nice rich, ripeness in the red currant and lingonberry notes. Spicy and a bit rough-hewed this is a gutsy bottle with lots of sweet fruit notes balancing out he austerity of the tannins. A touch simple perhaps but fun to drink. 2008-2012 91pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-1983-1/ 1988 Beaucastel - Jammy and spicy on the nose with rich blackberry pie filling tones backed up with powerful notes of leather and beef. This gains significant complexity in the glass going through a full register of earthy tones stretching from milk chocolate through tea, tobacco and anise with even a nuanced truffle note. Smooth, rich and suave in the mouth. This offers a rather precise feel with youthful tannins compensating for the lowish acidity Leathery and black with spice tones up front then a curious stretch of dilution across the mid-palate before finishing with a great, mineral tinged back end that offers more precise black fruits. The finish is a bit short and disappointing as well but this continued to improve in the glass offer the promise of continued positive development. 2008-2018 91pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-1988-1/ 1989 Beaucastel - Very fresh on the nose with split leather, raspberry, herbal and wildflowers rushing up from the glass. Subtle spice, pepper, and soil tones remain a bit obscured by the intensity of the fruit but gentle iron and blood tones struggle to assert themselves. Bright and ripe on entry with red cherry fruit that have a citrus tinge to them. Fine balance with wonderfully ripe tannins, this is succulent and deep with a spicy backend that leads to fine, long finish that reveals the power that the tannins still possess. Very young with a great blend of fruit and spice and deserves some additional time in the cellar to allow the tannins to gain a bit more polish and the fruit to recede enough to reveal all the incipient complexity that the nose promises. 2011-2025 93pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-15-l-1989/ 1990 Beaucastel - A veritable brett bomb. I like a bit of brett but here it verges on excessive. There are still intense notes of roasted blackberry, Szechuan peppercorn, pink peppercorn and salty, white mushroom on the nose but the slightly elevated alcohol and brett really mar the nose. Polished and round in the mouth but here too the brett obscured much of what this wine has to offer. Very ripe with abundant tannin, this is polished and soft with richly spiced and licorice toned black fruits but the finish is a bit short and then there’s more brett. A solid performance but I have had bottles much less marred by brett. 2008-2017 88pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-1990-1/ 1991 - Another positive surprise was this wine from a forgotten vintage. Fresh if slightly lactic on the nose with sour cherry fruit, herbs, lavender, and real garrigue notes. Lovely aromatics. A very elegant Beaucastel in the mouth with tannins that are a touch rustic but that contribute such a crisp, fresh feel to the wine and enhance the game, bright red fruits. Not a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination but very well balanced and delicious for near term consumption. Who knows this may turn out to be another 1972! 2008-2015 89pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/chateau-de-beaucastel-chateauneuf-du-pape-rouge-1991/    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic A Beaucastel vertical by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• November 2008

  Wines tasted in this report Flight 1- Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2006 Pedroncelli Mother Clone 86pts 2005 Quivira 85pts 2006 Holdredge 93pts Flight 2 – Dry Creek Valley Single Vineyards 2006 Dashe Cellars Florence Vineyard 93pts 2006 Dry Creek Vineyard Somers Ranch 89pts 2005... Read moreWines tasted in this report Flight 1- Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2006 Pedroncelli Mother Clone 86pts 2005 Quivira 85pts 2006 Holdredge 93pts Flight 2 - Dry Creek Valley Single Vineyards 2006 Dashe Cellars Florence Vineyard 93pts 2006 Dry Creek Vineyard Somers Ranch 89pts 2005 Carol Shelton Rocky Reserve Florence Vineyard 94pts Flight 3 - 100 years and what do you get? 2006 Terra d'Oro Deaver Vineyard 100 year old - Amador County 88pts 2005 Kunde Century Vines Shaw Vineyard Reserve - Sonoma valley 94pts 2006 Sausal Century Vines- Alexander Valley 85pts Flight 4 - the big, the bold and the beautiful 2005 Howell Mountain Vineyards Beatty Vineyard Napa Valley 92pts 2005 Cakebread Red Hills Lake County 87pts 2005 Sky Vineyards Mt. Veeder Napa Valley 87pts At the recent Snooth Zinfandel Panel Tasting I was happy to have the opportunity to run through a great line-up of Zins from some of my favorite regions and producers. I have never been partial to the monster style Zins and always looked for wines that retained some of the innate complexity that is the trademark of these fine wines. Too often in the recent past winemakers have amped up alcohol, extract and toasty oak to the point where the wines were caricatures of themselves, grotesque mutations unfit for table or glass but awe inspiring to taste. Much like unset jello shots. Zinfandel has a long and storied history in both California and the entire country. Originally brought to the East Coast for planting as a table grape Zinfandel’s rise to prominence was spurred along by the great gold rush of 1849. The influx of workers that accompanied the search for riches brought along a thirst for wine that Zinfandel helped to quench. Some of the earliest plantings in the State of California were located in the Gold Rush counties of the Sierra Foothills. To this day Amador County in particular, and to a lesser extent Calaveras and El Dorado counties continue to be a source for fine Zins. These vineyards tend to be at moderately high elevations, benefitting from the cooler climes these meso-climates provide and are stressed by the poor soils here. The combination of long hang time brought about by the cool autumn temperatures at these altitudes and the struggle for nutrients gives these wines a powerful personality with a spicy, minerally character that recalls sassafras and licorice with leathery over-tones. Full rich and fruity they are classic Zinfandels. Many regions offer similar growing conditions to these foothills. Most of the Napa valley floor and bench land Zinfandel vineyards have been replaced by more profitable, better suited grapes but significant plantings remains in the mountain areas that provide a meso-climate similar to that found in the Sierra foothills. Howell Mountain, Atlas Peak and Mt. Veeder all are capable of producing powerfully rich wines with classic citrussy acidity and dark briary fruit. These are frequently among the most age worthy Zins produced in California. Sonoma is, of course, home to arguably the best Zinfandel vineyards in the state, and certainly the greatest concentration of old-vine vineyards in the country. These ancient vines thrive in particular spots and have survived wars, prohibition, and countless fads simply because they produce some of the finest wines in the country. The Dry Creek Valley is the heartland of Zinfandel country, with many vineyards dating back into the 19th century. These vines produce classic wines, brimming with deep blackberry fruit and touched with black pepper and baking spice notes. These are the quintessential Zinfandels. Big and wooly yet balanced and fine with elegance to their power. They go well with a broad range of foods due to their bright acids and fine balance and these qualities allow them to age well, developing earthy, tobacco and cedar nuances as the fruit fades. While Zinfandel is grown throughout the state these are the historic hot spots for the variety. Paso Robles, farther south, is a great source for fine Zin but I will have to wait for the next tasting to include some in the line-up. It seems to me that Zinfandel rarely gets the respect it deserves, though that is clearly changing. As these fantastic old-vine vineyards begin to get more recognition, and as winemakers return to a more balanced, natural style of winemaking people are beginning to understand what treasures these wines are. While the grape is not truly an indigenous American grape, having come from Croatia almost 2 centuries ago, nowhere else on earth has the vine found a spot that allows it to produce such rich, flamboyant and compelling wines. An argument can be made that Zinfandel is the USA’s greatest wine. It has no peer group for comparison. Simply put there are no better wines made on earth from this fickle grape. While it is generally made in style that is rich and decidedly new worldy, it is an adaptable grape and has been made in styles that have ranged from light, easy and fresh to powerful and completely over the top. While the best examples lay in the middle of this stylistic spectrum the simple fact that this variety is so adaptable speak volumes. Being a decidedly American wine, Zinfandel is frequently promoted as the ideal wine for that decidedly American holiday, Thanksgiving. I suppose one should argue that the other decidedly American holiday, July 4th, should be the perfect time for white Zinfandel but I will leave that discussion for another day. I am a wholehearted fan of drinking Zinfandel on Thanksgiving. Perhaps I am biased since I do love these wines but it’s big, bold fruit, impression of sweetness and generally vibrant acidity makes it a fine match for the sweeter flavors found on that holiday’s table. The following dozen wines represent a great selection of what is in the marketplace today. While 2005 is a decidedly stronger vintage, a great vintage for Zinfandel, the early release 2006’s that I have tried have proven that the possibility to make great wines was there in 2006 as well. I encourage you to try some of these wines; they are unique, affordable and delicious and represent something special in the history of American Viticulture! 2006 J. Pedroncelli Mother Clone Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 14.4% $12-15 This value priced bottling has a low key nose that is very true to type with a fine blend of earth, cocoa, and mixed red and black raspberry fruit that has just a touch of smoky, toasty, vanilla scented oak influence. In the mouth this offers a restrained, easy drinking style with bright acidity and soft tannins. There is a lovely touch of funky earth right up front followed by fresh and friendly slightly spicy red berry fruit. This finishes with decent length with a touch of tar and spice and while I would like to see a bit more intensity both on the nose and the palate this is recognizable, typical Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel. 86pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/pedroncelli-winery-and-vineyards-mother-clone-dry-creek-valley-zinfandel-2006/ 2005 Quivira Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 14.9% $15-20 This has a sweet, brambly/herbal nose that shows its alcohol a bit too much. The heat accentuates a minty, chalky character but there are nice notes of lingonberry jam. Sweet on entry with pure raspberry fruit that is backed up with grace notes of tree bark, orange peel, and backing spices. The texture is a bit thick and slick with integrated acidity and soft, ripe tannins. Clean and brisk on the finish with a core of woodsiness and raspberry jam that leads to a final touch of spicy heat. Simple but big. 85pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/quivira-zinfandel-dry-creek-2005/ 2006 Holdredge Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 15.3% $20 This offers up a decidedly dark fruit profile on the nose with hints of sour plum, earth and deep brambly fruit. Very spicy and complex with notes of leather, gunflint, tar and spice all adding complexity. Rich and polished in the mouth with a fine, elegant feel. There is a real vibrancy to the deep, plush blackberry fruit that has great briar, earth, and black spice accents. Really fine intensity and balance though the tannins gain prominence on the finish. This retains admirable purity considering the weight and the power. 93pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/holdredge---zinfandel-dry-creek-valley-2006/ 2005 Carol Shelton Rocky Reserve - Florence Vineyard - Rockpile Dry Creek Valley 14.8% $30-35 Big and fruit bomb nose with intense orange peel and stewy raspberry fruit that is quite complex with tones of vanilla and game accenting the fruit. Gains in the glass adding toasted hazelnut, bitter cocoa and earth, clove tinged baked plum fruits. Surprisingly lean on entry with an intense attack of very spicy fruits and fine herbal top notes. The mid-palate reveals a core of sweet, earthy fruit rich with strawberry and raspberry tones. In a lighter style with lots of polished tannins and while it is a bit lean it really speaks with excellent soil tones. Lacks the chewy weight of many Zins but makes up for it with a fine, elegant feel and remarkably transparent red fruits. 94pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/carol-shelton-zinfandel-rocky-reserve-rockpile-vineyard-2005-3/ 2006 Dry Creek Vineyard - Somers Ranch Dry Creek Valley 15.0% $24-26 Effusively aromatic with baked earth and fruit tones baked plum, tobacco and smoky oak with a tarry edge. A bit heavy on the nose. Big and rick with a sleek sweetness to the wine. There is a distinct dried fruit tone to the intense cherry/cranberry fruit here and fine pepperiness and briar accentuates the mid-palate. The tannins a fairly substantial but ripe and well balanced. Good length and typicity 89pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/dry-creek-vineyards-somers-ranch-zinfandel-2006/ 2006 Dashe Cellars Florence Vineyard - Dry Creek Valley 14.5% $30-35 Smoky and with a hint of obvious oak on the nose this has a touch of obvious alcohol as well. The black raspberry fruit if incredibly intense with a jammy edge and layers of toast, butter, and allspice/cinnamon spice that makes this smell like breakfast. Richly fruited in the mouth with that same pure, jammy black raspberry/ black berry fruit that is accented with notes of honey, vanilla, and baking spices. Big and plush with a flannelly soft feel this is engaging and made in a style that should appeal to most palates. 93pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/dashe-cellars-zinfandel-florence-vineyard-rouge-2006/ 2006 Sausal Vineyard Century Vines - Alexander Valley 14.7% $30 Very slow to open with subtle vanilla and herb tinged dark, marmaladey fruits that recall date and fig. Fairly caramelly with faded baking spice tones. Big and plush on entry then turning more focused and elegant on the mid-palate. The boysenberry fruits in the mouth are orange tinged with the citrussy acids and the tannins offer a creamy mouthfeel but the wine feels diffuse and while there is a nice candied/medicinal edge to the finish it’s a bit to short. Appealing mouthfeel but lacking in intensity. 85pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/sausal-winery-zinfandel-century-vines-2006/ 2006 Terra d’Oro Deaver Vineyard 100 Year Old - Amador 15.5% $25 Soft and quite spicy on the nose with cracked pepper, dry baked earth, hot chalk and stone notes adding depth to the vanilla tinged red plum and sour cherry pie. A lurking floral tone gains in the glass. The sweetly fruited attack yields to a gentle mid-palate that features good yet unobtrusive structure for the very spicy red fruits in the strawberry/cranberry end of the spectrum. This is quite fresh with a touch of melon on the back end and there is a subtle custardy, vanilla vein that leads out to the very cherried finish with a touch of spicy red hots and spiced cranberry sauce on the final. Perhaps a touch too easy but with broad based appeal. 88pts. http://www.snooth.com/wine/montevina-vineyards-montevina-terra-doro-deaver-100-year-old-vine-zinfandel-2005/ 2005 Kunde Century Vines Shaw Vineyard Reserve - Sonoma Valley 14.9% $30 Very earthy on the nose with great briar tones, woodsy and even a touch feral with a whiff of mushroom adding complexity to the melon rind and pomegranate fruits. There is a lovely campfire note complete with toasted marshmallow. This is so rich in the mouth yet retains elegance due to the fine acidity and superb, ripe and polished tannins. This has the subtle power of old vines and while the red cherry fruit with it’s hint of watermelon may not have the spice or power of many other Zins the depth and jewel-like quality to the fruit is absolutely compelling. The finish offers up a bit spicier and allows the density of the tannins to build but this is just a fabulous bottle of Zinfandel. 94pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/kunde-estate-winery-and-vineyards-reserve-century-vines-zinfandel-rouge-2005/ 2005 Cakebread Red Hills Lake County 15.1% $40-42 Brambly on the nose with powder sugar and meaty, slightly gamy, leather tones that highlight the very ripe fruit. Bright appley acidity on the nose contrasts with the dark, figgy fruit tones. In the mouth this is fairly precise feeling with soft tannins that are well managed and a bit of bitter spice tones that recall licorice and star anise building on the back end. The relatively high acidity supports the cranberry and pomegranate fruits and while this if soft and plush on the mid-palate it turns earthy and crisp with drying tannins on the finish. A wine filled with contradictions and perhaps in need of some bottle age to sort itself out. 87pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/cakebread-zinfandel-2005/ 2005 Howell Mountain Vineyards Beatty Vineyard Napa Valley 15.6% $35-40 Intensely dark fruited aromatics greet the nose with a very powerful backdrop of earth, mineral, brambly, and oak tones. Really evolves in the glass revealing notes of dried herb, dried flowers and rocky, shale notes to the pomegranate and grenadine fruit. Shows surprising restraint in the mouth with excellent focus and precision. The acid is bright and the tannins are fine-grained allowing the deep core of dark yet fresh plummy fruit to come to the fore. There is a lurking touch of peach nectar and vanilla but the fruit is accented by expressive spice and soil tones. A well behaved monster of a Zin with the structure and balance to reward cellaring Finishes with good length if a touch clumsy due to the youthful tannins. A bit of buttery wood lingers on the finale. 92pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/howell-mountain-vineyards-zinfandel-beatty-ranch-2005/ 2005 Sky Vineyards Mt. Veeder Napa Valley 13.5% $30 Sweet and herbal on the nose with a pronounced mintiness and autumnal notes of cocoa and balsamic forest floor. There is a touch of peppery watercress and suggestions of candied red fruits. A touch of volatility mars the nose. Elegant and pure in the mouth with sappy berry fruit and classic notes of bramble that are more vegetal that usual. Soft tannins and juicy acidity support the bright red candied fruits with grace notes of blackberry leaves and dirt adding depth and complexity. A touch astringent and decidedly tart this is cleansing and refreshing in the mouth in an easy drinking style but suffers in the mouth from a touch of volatility as well. 87pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/sky-vineyards-zinfandel-mt-veeder-2005/    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic With Thanksgiving coming it's... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• October 2008

  "artigiano viticoltore" One of the great things about travelling through a wine region is the sense of discovery one gets. It is rare in these times to actually discover much of anything, other than wines new to one’s self, but there are always exceptions. Of course a real... Read more"artigiano viticoltore" One of the great things about travelling through a wine region is the sense of discovery one gets. It is rare in these times to actually discover much of anything, other than wines new to one’s self, but there are always exceptions. Of course a real discovery would be to find someone doing things out side the norm and perhaps out side the classic zones yet producing wines of unusual and unique expressiveness. Just north of Rovereto, in the suburb of Calliano, if you can call this small village that, lies one of the greatest finds of recent years. While visiting my family in Trentino recently, I had scheduled about a week of winery visits to re-familiarize myself with some producers and explore others for the first time. Trentino is essentially divided into three winemaking areas, one of which is centered around the city of Rovereto. Vines literally surround this medieval city and the villages that skirt the city limits. In this, the southern part of Trentino, the grape Marzemino is particularly prized and flourishes on the alluvial flood plains that lead down to the Adige river as it winds it’s way through this narrow valley. There are a few historic vineyard areas here, the recently expanded Zeresi and the renowned Isera zone with its unique Basaltic soils, both of which lie a fair distance from the river. These particular microclimates offer Marzemino an ideal combination of soil, sun, and airflow that creates the ideal stress on the vines, producing uncommonly dense and nuanced examples of Marzemino. Finding an untried Marzemino that really wowed me was something I that never occurred to me. I guess that old maxim “expect the unexpected” has more than a little truth to it. Eugenio Rosi is making a tiny amount of wine in his deep, rented cellars just off the piazza in Calliano. This young trailblazer, this artisan viticulturalist, has relied on the techniques and skills of decades past by farming organically and utilizing natural fermentations initiated by indigenous yeast. The wines, while technically not perfect, are absolutely brilliant. They speak of the grape, the soils, the air and the land, and even Eugenio’s hands. They are among the most authentic and expressive wines being made today. After obtaining his degree in Enology and working through several cellars in the region, Eugenio decided a decade ago that he wanted to work a different vein. He wanted to return to his roots as a farmer and spend time not only in the cellar, but also in the fields. He began tending his scant 5 hectares of vines, some owned for generations, others recently leased, only a decade ago and has spent each vintage since perfecting his techniques, learning from his mistakes, and moving to the fore of his field. Eugenio’s cellar is filled with botte and barrique though there is a decided shift to larger wood in progress. In fact the movement is not only away from barrique but also away from the woods we traditionally associate with modern winemaking in Italy, namely French and Slavonian Oak. Eugenio is pushing for a return to the more traditional woods of the region and has begun using 550 liter barrels of Cherry and Chestnut which, obviously, contribute to the unique character of his wines These are wines that may not appeal to a particularly broad range of consumers, but with only a few thousand bottles of each wine produced they really don’t have to. These are wines that will appeal to those already familiar with producers like Pepe, Capellano, Bea, Quintarelli, and Gravner. Wines that may not always succeed but when they do have something other wines just don’t offer. These are not wines that are easily exchanged for other Marzeminos for example, and the details of the viticulture and vinification play a great role in defining these wines and setting them apart. While I am thrilled to have “discovered” Eugenio and his fine wines in fact it is just another case of discovering the wines only for myself. Alas they are already imported into the US, but I don’t think anyone really knows about them yet. That will absolutely change, so at least, in a small way I can take some small credit for introducing the wines of Eugenio Rosi to a public thirsty for something unique, historic and wonderfully different. 2006 Anesos white This unusual blend of 60% Pinot Bianco, 20% Chardonnay and 20% Nosiola comes from a vineyard in the Vallarsa region to the west of Rovereto, hard up against the provincial border with the Veneto. Bottled unfined and unfiltered this funky white blend is the result of a blend of Chardonnay and Nosiola which spent about 5 days on the skins and Pinot Bianco that got a full 12 days maceration with the skins. The nose is clean with note of mint and earthy, smoky dried fruits but is still a bit tight and reticent. In the mouth there is a touch of tannin here though this medium plus bodied white has excellent balance and integration yielding a round, velvety mouthfeel. The flavors span the range from dried waxy yellow fruit, to floral, herbal, animal, mineral and nutty. This was sampled at cellar temperature and while drinking well might have been a touch more expressive if it was a degree or three warmer. Nonetheless this was long, complex, and layered with an earthy core of savory fruit melded with a fine, rich mouthfeel. Very compelling stuff. 93pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/azienda-agricola-eugenio-rosi-anesos-2006/ 2007 Cabernet Franc Organically farmed and bottled unsulfured from old vines that lie within the city limits of Rovereto in an old vineyard of pure sand. The nose here is explosive with big balsamic and incense notes popping from the glass then fine rich notes of smoked paprika, drying chilies, and mica rich earth slowly revealing themselves. Medium bodied and very elegant in the mouth with great balance between the ripe tannins and fine acids. The fruit on the palate is impressively deep and pure with just a hint of the pepper/herbaceous quality so apparent on the nose. Full of wild berry fruit and has just a whisper of rusticity adding some complexity on the palate. This has great focus and the finish is rich in velvety tannins which add some weight and depth to the lingering notes of earth fruit and a gentle note of exotic, aromatic wood. 91pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/azienda-agricola-eugenio-rosi-cabernet-franc-2007/ Barrel Sample #1 - A solera experiment, one barrique started in 2004 and refreshed in both 2005 and 2006. Again intense aromatics impress with their blend of spicy notes and vegetal tones that accentuate the slightly jammy wild plum notes tinged with cinnamon and earth and the deep underlay of dried porcini. This is a much more imposing wine in the mouth, packed with ripe tannins yet fresh with solid acidity. It is big and rich with a strong cocoa and prune entry which freshens admirably on the mid-palate turning towards crisp, red fruits. While this tightens up a bit with air there is excellent purity to the fruit and a fine, layered feel that gets clipped only on the finish. I’m not sure what to make of the finish, which felt very closed and was certainly less expressive than the nose or palate. This holds promise but really deserves a longer look. Based on what was there (88-92pts.) 2007 Poiema Marzemino Barrel Sample -Slavonian Oak - This is made in the governo style with Marzemino wine refermented with grapes that had been dried for 4 weeks. Approximately 40% of the grapes are dried- A bit too woody at this point with smoky notes of mace, but there seems to be very jewel-like fruit lying at the core. The tannins on the palate are a bit woody and drying but the fine acids support lovely dark berry fruits. Still very early for this wine and tough to judge but if the wood is absorbed there is good promise here. (86-90pts) 2007 Poiema Marzemino Barrel Sample- Ageing in Cherry wood that had been used to store Cabernet for 2 months, to soak up some of the youthful wood character. The fruit for this bottling comes from the Zeresi Vineyard just outside the village of Volano. A great source for Marzemino but as is so often the case, a vineyard whose boundaries have recently been expanded to include a large parcel of vines outside the traditional area. A very fine and intense nose of beeswax, incense and earth frames sweet and spicy red currant fruit that offers great purity. In the mouth the tannins are very, very fine and the acidity offers great cut yielding a jewel-like, faceted mouthfeel. The flavors mimic the nose with rather assertive wood tones that are in the earthy, balsamic, dried baking spice register and serve to show off the rich core of fruit well though there is just a hint of oxidation creeping in here. None-the-less very complex and layered if too youthful to give a complete picture. (90-94pts) http://www.snooth.com/wine/azienda-agricola-eugenio-rosi-poiema-2007/ 2006 Esegesi Barrel Sample - Translated from the Greek origins the name here refers to Eugenio’s goal of offering his own “Interpretation” of the vines he tends. In this case those vines are a field blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot. As with all of his wine this blend represents Eugenio’s minimal-interventionist winemaking at it’s best. The organically tended fruit here crops at low yields and the merlot is harvested very late to add a touch of sur-maturitie to the final blend. The wine is vinified in a combination of new wood and cement then sees 2 years of barrel aging so this was nearing the end of it’s barrel time. Crazy complexity on the nose with layers of fresh fruit, dried fruits, earth, herbs, mineral notes, a rich savory core and grace notes of sottobosco and aromatic redwood. This is big and plush in the mouth but retains very bright acids, which support explosively rich blackberry, and black currant fruit that is pure and lithe with a gentle edge of barnyardy leather. The tannins, which were initially not noticed, spread across the palate and add depth and a bit of rigidity to the wine. This is classic Bordeaux! The finish is long and offers gently minerally notes of cherry pit fruit and a lovely finale of arugula. This can compete with the best Cabernet from virtually anyway on the globe. (90-94pts) http://www.snooth.com/wine/azienda-agricola-eugenio-rosi-esegesi-2006/ 2005 Esegesi - from bottle but not yet released. This has a touch of VA on the nose adding lift to the fleshy, animal notes and bit of woodiness. Decidedly more funky and earthy than the 2006 on the nose, there is a striking resemblance in the mouth. This combines the bright acids of the ’06 with those some, very fine, sneaky tannins. The tannins here may be a bit more obtrusive than with the ’06 as they seem more wood driven and are a bit more drying. The fruit on the palate is vibrant and rich mixed berry pie that has admirable freshness and is dusted with earthen and spice tones. There is great focus here and the wine presents a fairly linear progression through the mouth and to the finish with a long, curranty finish that is richly spiced with notes of Asian 5-spice. Perhaps a touch less cohesive than the 2006 but still a wonderful success. (88-92pts) http://www.snooth.com/wine/azienda-agricola-eugenio-rosi-esegesi-2005/ 2002 Poiema - Here is a bottle that has had the time to integrates and the nose speaks intensely of Marzemino with a huge, fragrant floral note over the slightly astringent red fruits which recall pomegranate seeds. In the mouth it is big and layered with a sweet core of wild berry fruit gentle edged with a touch of shaved bakers chocolate and a very sharp mineral note. There is a touch of oxidation here that adds complexity to the wine and a bit of aromatic spice that recalls poppy seeds in the mouth with a fine finish that is perhaps just a but short. Excellent and pure Marzemino with power and grave. Very well done 90pts http://www.snooth.com/wine/azienda-agricola-eugenio-rosi-poiema-2002/ And just one final note here but not on the wines. The labels for Eugenio’s wines feature original artwork created by his wife. They are as elegant, interesting and original as the wines and serve to well to distinguish the nature of these wines from much of what is on similar shelves.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Eugenio Rosi - Trentino's... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• October 2008

  These are serious times for the world. Our economy is under severe pressure that few of us have ever seen before and they are taking their toll on the world of wine. Large collections of recently acquired wines are being hastily brought to auction to create some liquidity for those... Read moreThese are serious times for the world. Our economy is under severe pressure that few of us have ever seen before and they are taking their toll on the world of wine. Large collections of recently acquired wines are being hastily brought to auction to create some liquidity for those heavily invested in this "liquid asset" and the effect on the wine world will be interesting to watch. Many factors will come into play here, the first being the aforementioned saturation of the auction market, which has already begun. The sheer volume of wine purchased over the past few of years of wealth accumulation is staggering. Far more wine than would ever be consumed was socked away in ever fancier and ever larger custom wine cellars. Just for illustrative purposes the wine cellaring business, which had been about a $15 million business a decade ago grew to an $800 million business last year! The explosive growth of MacMansions with the obligatory wine room helped to fuel this competitive buying binge as keeping up with the Joneses could now be measure on yet another scale, the opulent and extravagant wine collection. The majority of what was purchased to fill these cellars were the fine wines of Bordeaux, in particular the first and so-called super-second growths, though with a pronounced effect throughout the sector. Wines that had languished on the shelves for $200 are now $1,000. The demand for these wines was overwhelming and came not only from domestic consumers but the emerging markets of both China, and to a lesser extent, Russia. Bordeaux is a strange beast in many ways, it is unique in that it has long been a commoditized wine. The auction markets have always been dominated by Bordeaux and the large production of the Chateaux, typically over 20,000 cases per year, ensured that there was enough liquidity in those markets to truly allow the market to set the price of these wines. In fact the famous, or infamous depending on your point of view, Bordeaux classification of 1855, establishing the strata still in evidence today, was based apon the relative pricing of each Chateaux at the time. Interestingly the phenomenon of global warming and technological advances in winemaking have played an integral part in the run-up of prices and can only exacerbate the pending collapse. In the past Bordeaux, like most fine wine regions, was blessed with a few great vintages a decade. The warming climate and the improved ability to deal with challenging vintages has introduced a new paradigm. In the 1990's both 91 and 92 were pretty dismal vintages but things picked up with good vintages in both 93 and 94, then excellent vintages in 95 and 96, with a slip in 97 that very nearly undid the Bordeaux trade as a crappy vintage met the ill-timed introduction of the new Bordelaise pricing policy, onward and upward! 1998 was a solid vintage, then came 1999, a pretty vintage that in the past may have been barely acceptable but modern know-how saved the day and the exceptionally powerful dollar brought the wines to market at very attractive pricing, a fine introduction to Bordeaux, but then everything went wrong. 2000, the millennial vintage, the first "Vintage of the Century!" of the new century, conveniently ignoring the reality that it was in fact the last "Vintage of the Century!" of the last century. Then 2001 very good, 2002 classic and well priced, 2003 an aberration of a vintage suffering from the sweltering heat of the season but greeted enthusiastically by the critics who thought that the exoticism of the wines was something to fawn over. Why one would want Bordeaux to resemble over-ripe California Cabernet is beyond me, but the hyperbole approached another 'Vintage of the Century!" call. 2004 was again a vintage that was fine and solid in a classic style if more expensive than the preceding vintage. And then came 2005, "Vintage of the Century!" yet again and at price increases never before seen. "Buy before they become even more expensive" was the rallying call and while interest was huge, purchasing follow through lagged a bit. That is until the Bordelaise pricing model kicked in with the less impressive 2006's that were priced above the "VotC" 2005s! In New York they call that Chutzpah. Well if did not stop there and 2007 Bordeaux prices were released just in time to coincide with the meltdown of global markets. This adequate vintage is priced at or around the price of the better 2006s, converting them into yet another screaming buy! So there they are, a plethora of vintages worthy of one's cellar, some to drink in the short-term and some to cellar so that our grandchildren can enjoy the finest wines of our nascent century. Cellars are full to bursting, the retail pipeline is full to bursting, winemakers' cellars are full to bursting, and then the world's economy decided to implode. So where does that leave us and does this all have a point? Yes and no. Some of this is just my venting, well only a little bit actually. The point is that for all you Bordeaux fans who have been priced out of the market recently salvation is coming. After last week's collapse on Wall Street a bit of panic selling spread to the fine wine market. Million of dollars worth of wine have been proposed to auction houses and retailers around the globe in just the past week, and that is only the beginning. The effect of this surge in supply has yet to be felt in the marketplace and the auction channels are keeping their fingers crossed that the Asian markets will sop it all up due to their pent-up demand, but our Asian brothers are not dumb. The super rare wines may hold their value or continue to rise due to their illiquid markets but the sheer volume of Bordeaux that is about to come to market almost guarantees significant price reductions, This may take some time to filter through as auction houses modify their policies to keep hammer prices afloat. By reducing their cut from both the buyer and the seller an auction house can keep hammer prices, the final bid proposed by a buyer, level while real pricing, the hammer price plus the cut or buyer's premium, usually 15-20% tacked on by the auction house, falls. This is tricky business yet only postpones the inevitable, wine prices, and Bordeaux prices in particular, though there is little hope that the bloated and obnoxious pricing of much of California's Cabernet will retain their buoyancy, are set to re-adjust in synch with the grand asset devaluation that is sweeping the globe. France is already bracing for a precipitous drop in wine exports, led by the backed up flow of forsaken Bordeaux. Restaurants are dealing with a nation-wide drop in business and are already seeing consumers switch from the super-premium labels so popular over the past few years to more value driven selections. So they bottom line, and thankfully we are almost at the bottom line here, is that wine prices will suffer a retreat that will once again allow everyone to share in the bounty. For too many years too much wine had fallen into the exclusive domain of the rich. That was not only wrong but it was a shame, something that is lacking in the wine business. This foodstuff, a simple beverage designed to make life a little more pleasant, was elevated to the level of status symbol comparable to Tiffany, Rolex, or Hermes. If you don't believe that wait for my blog about the problem with counterfeit wines! Well that time is coming to an end, it took a tortuously painful worldwide financial crisis to facilitate it but the long-term prognosis for wine lovers is improving! Keep tuned into the Snooth wine talk pages as I embark on a set of articles that will focus on value wine, wines to drink while we wait for the fine wine market to establish a new, reasonable, affordable pricing structure.Of course some of these value wines are so damn good you may very well feel that there is no reason to pay more for wine, but that is fodder for another discussion. Gregory Dal Piaz is the Community Manager at  Snooth, an avid Wine Geek with a passion for things Italian, and a long suffering Mets fan.     (hide)

  Forum post in the topic The sky is falling! What are... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• October 2008

  While I ran late for the start of this tasting I did sit with Alfio for dinner just two days earlier when we had a chance to discuss the turbulent times Barolo went through in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Though it is hard to believe there just wasn’t much of a market for... Read more While I ran late for the start of this tasting I did sit with Alfio for dinner just two days earlier when we had a chance to discuss the turbulent times Barolo went through in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Though it is hard to believe there just wasn’t much of a market for these wines until the fairly recent past. Jokingly I said that this has turned out to be a good thing for us today as there are still significant stocks of back vintage wines in cellars and restaurants around the world. I had bought much of the Cavallotto line-up when it was offered to the New York market two years ago and have enjoyed many bottles over these past years but I had to experience a vertical like this. San Giuseppe Bricco Boschis Riserva Vertical 1971 Opening with a touch of espresso crema and spicy Speck notes this gains lovely intensity with an orange rind edge to the meaty, smoky notes and gains a bit of earthy pipe tobacco and oyster shell with time. A touch drying with austere tannins still in evidence this none-the-less fills the mouth with it’s evolved, dried fruit notes that gains sweetness while the wine opens in the glass. Really elegant and refined on the finish which shows a touch of heat but is long and offers a deep note of tarry, cocoa tinged earth that lingers. 94pts 1978 The light and elegant nose opens with an array of tobacco tinged nut meats and is a bit fresher than the 1971 though it lacks the intensity that wine offered. Ripe tannins frame a powerful, darkly fruited midpalate which picks up a bit too much nuttiness, seemingly revealing more oxidative notes than the nose would have indicated. Complex in the mouth though finishing a touch dry and shortish. I’ve had better bottles of this. 90pts 1985 The nose offers up jammy fruits but there is admirable freshness in the menthol, green olive, caper, and green tobacco tones that add interest. Big and powerfully fruity in the mouth this still has a fair amount of ripe tannin to resolve but the ripe fruit is in balance and the tannin accentuates the emerging, fine tea like notes on the back end. Finishes long and firm if a bit less broad than the older wines but still an excellent ’85 with years of positive development left. 93pts 1989 While this closed up in the glass it opened with intense candied violet tones and liquory, slightly jammy fruit. Notes of ripe herbs add depth. Almost seamless in the mouth with tons of ripe, round tannins and excellent acidity supporting a taut core of tarry fruit. Really poised and deep in the mouth yet very young with a long fine finish. This gives the impression of being broad shoulder and muscular with a tight waist. Watch out, this one might hurt you! Will improve. 94pts 1990 While this lacks a bit of freshness it is very complex with layered notes of earth, salame, and a slight roasting chestnut tone. In the mouth it is refreshing with it’s crisp tannins and solid acidity but lacks some flesh. The flavors are fairly savory and while the tannins are big the wine doesn’t show the balance need leading to a round, soft finish that lacks complexity. 89pts 1999 The reticent nose reveals some deep, dark notes of earth, dried flowers and fruit with an almost tropical top note of pomegranate. Very focused in the mouth with a cylindrical feel to the meaty, ripe fruit. Very precise with excellent cut and balance and a powerful, if closed feel. Will definitely improve and have a very long life 92pts 2000 This on the other hand is still open and reveals a bit of fudgy, lushly ripe fruits on the nose married to ripe herbs though it is a bit hot. Big and blowsy in the mouth this is fleshy yet lacks some definition at this point. Quite tannic on the back end turned hard and tight on the finish, this closes up in the glass. A bit harder to get a read on at this stage but lacks the balance of the 1999 90pts    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic A vertical tasting with Alfio... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• May 2008

  Back in February, Mark posted a summary of Vertical vs. Horizontal wine tasting. It was a clear and concise description of both; so, I'm not going to steal his thunder by repeating anything he wrote. However, I will ask the Snooth team to "link it up," as the one and only Gary... Read moreBack in February, Mark posted a summary of Vertical vs. Horizontal wine tasting. It was a clear and concise description of both; so, I'm not going to steal his thunder by repeating anything he wrote. However, I will ask the Snooth team to "link it up," as the one and only Gary Vay-ner-chuk does many times in his daily video blogs. What I will do is fulfill my promise to detail a "horizontal" tasting of 2005 Napa Valley Cabernets. So, here it goes. First, the year. The vintage. When asked about the 2005 vintage, many a winemaker in Napa Valley will respond without thinking, "a huge crop." Production at most wineries was up. A long, cool growing season with late Spring rain and no heat spikes in the Summer produced large berries that matured slowly and in balance. In Spring 2006, James Laube wrote in the Spectator about the 2005 vintage when he barrel tasted 50+ wines (blind). Laube said the large crop was a detriment to quality but went on to compare it to the yields of the praiseworthy, exceptional, 1997 vintage. As discussed in these posts before, (wine) quality is in the mouth of the beholder - especially when a vintage follows one of great critical acclaim. The 2004 Napa Valley Cabernets have been touted for their incredible richness (density), power (structure) and complexity (depth). The 2005 wines had large scores to live up to especially when dealing with the challenges of a disparate growing season. So, immediately winemakers started to defend the 2005 vintage and do what all wine drinkers (enthusiasts and professionals) know how to do best, we make comparisons. And for 2005, comparisons were made to Bordeaux appellations up and down the left-bank of the Gironde and we were chuffed when these repeated cries were heard by wine critics who went on to print them in the pages of their newsletters and magazines -- thank you. It is true, the 2005 Napa Valley Cabernets that I tend to gravitate to have a purity of red and black fruit wrapped in subtlety and nuance, grace and elegance. The wines of 2005 are approachable now and are drinking like you'd want them to drink when you are hovering above a piece of well-cooked red meat. Let's get on with it.... Sometime in late March, at Larkmead, I gathered with colleagues and friends for a pot-luck barbeque that started with a cocktail party of oil-tanker sized proportions. Sixteen 2005 Napa Valley Cabernets (and blends) in the $45-$80 price range were tasted side by side. I won't give scores or rank my favorites (notes below are in alphabetical order). However, there may be a word, a phrase or a line or two that speaks to the wines I liked or disliked. So, enjoy and drink up. Producer (Description/Appellation) Price. Cakebread (Napa Valley) $65 - A bit green. Nose and palate a little harsh. Felt the tannins from the back to the front of my mouth. Caymus (Napa Valley) $70 - Very focused aromatics. Soft and subdued linear movement through the mouth. Well worth a second sip, even a second glass. Cliff Lede (Stags Leap) $50 - Approachable even as a big wine. A bit of Brett on the nose, but the texture in the mouth is soft and cedary with chewy tannins on the finish. Covenant (Kosher/Napa Valley) $80 - A bit of parsley on the nose highlights the 'green' in this wine. Reminds me of the aromas of a wine during fermentation. Whole cluster to be exact, which tends to subdue the fruit characters with herbaceousness and spice. Never tasted anything like this from a Cabernet. David Ramey (Larkmead Vineyards/Napa Valley) $80 - Ripe, over ripe and then extracted some more. Finishes very oaky, then green and then bitter. Over the top for my palate. Fisher Vineyards (Cameron/Napa Valley) $55 - Soft on the nose and palate. Silky, as if you wrapped a silk scarf around your neck already adorned with a silk shirt. Dusty tannins front a long, sweet finish. Garric Cellars (Napa Valley) $75 - Complex. Layered. Lean. Elegant. Balanced. Sweet. Everything you could every ask for from a wine (or a woman). Joseph Phelps (Napa Valley) $55 - Ripe, vanilla, red raspberry cream. Same on the mid-palate. Then finishes with a refreshing, dry bitterness. Larkmead Vineyards (Napa Valley) $55 - Review omitted due to bias. Orin Swift (Papillion/Napa Valley) $55 - Wildly attractive packaging. The 5.4 lb bottle is 62% Cabernet, 19% Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot to finish. The gravitas of the packaging outshines the wine. (I need to taste it again from a brown paper bag to give it its full due.) Pride (Spring Mountain) $65 - A bit green and disjointed right down the middle - like its appellation breakdown: 58% Napa Valley, 42% Sonoma. Possibly a fault in the wine or bottle variability. Would like to re-taste. Shafer (One Point Five/Stags Leap) $70 - Lovely, lingering nose. Lean fruit, not sweet. Finishes with a comparable lingering, soft, bitter tannins. Terra Valentine (Wurtele Vineyard/Spring Mountain) $55 - An outlier - young from start to finish but giving up good chalky tannins and fresh acidity. Ageworthy. Turnbull (Oakville) $45 - Completely fruit driven with a soft, supple finish. Nothing profound about this wine, it is simply a crowd pleaser. Vineyard 29 (Cru) $50 - If you love your asparagus wrapped in bacon and your filet dripping with blue cheese, this wine delivers the steakhouse complement - ripe and delicious... but somewhere, deep down inside it wants to be Bordeaux. ZD (Napa Valley) $50 - Watery red fruit, short on the finish. Surprising as I have tasted many good stand-up wines from ZD before.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic 2005 Napa Valley Cabernets by Dan

  
  

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