Pot pourri

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  November 2009

  Round Hill Merlot California 2008

  Snoothrank:

  Charred wood and potpourri aromas frame a bright palate with a hint of sweetness, bunches of raspberries and cherries, and a slightly fungal and syrupy finish.

  Wine review by mark

  
  
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  November 2009

  Cuvaison Zinfandel Napa Valley 1975

  Snoothrank:

  I recently got my hand on several bottles of this vintage, and to be honest, i was a little spectacle about how this wine would hold up after 35 years. Wow! What an amazing experience this bottle turned out to be. I drank the bottle over a 90 minute period and was absolutley amazed... Read moreI recently got my hand on several bottles of this vintage, and to be honest, i was a little spectacle about how this wine would hold up after 35 years. Wow! What an amazing experience this bottle turned out to be. I drank the bottle over a 90 minute period and was absolutley amazed how this bottle evolved. I let it decant for about 15 minutes before I tried my first sip and was disappointed. Very thin and acidic and a little corky. At the 25 minute mark the mouth feel became luscious. The silky quality that I've learned can only come after some decades on its side. Cassis and licorice were full and bright, with no trace of cork. And the nose had hints citrus orchard and raspberry. At 40 minutes the nose became more rose. Very strong floral notes. Almost potpourri, but not in an unpleasant way. The acidity realy balanced itself out and the licorice was replaced by leather and blueberry. The silky quality was even better. At 60 minutes, the nose became more orange than anything else, with hints of the floral notes previously prominent. Over the next 30 minutes the wine started deconstructing a little bit, and lost some of its layers, but the flavor components continued to change. Some gameness and very ripe fruit started to come to the forefront and the blueberry became more leather. As we finished the bottle at the 90 minute mark, the mouth feel was the best it had ever been, and nose was almost gone but had an incredibly pleasant floral subtlety. If I was to really focus on the flavor, with my eyes closed, I got and almost Kool-Aid sweeness at the back of my palate and a classic Zin fruitiness. The ripeness was perfect, with no hint of the over ripness from before. i wish I had a magnum of this to see what else the bottle would have yielded. The next one I open, I'll make sure to savor it for at least hours. This was certainly one of the best bottles I've had this year.    (hide)

  Wine review by dddunn

  
  
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  August 2009

  Larkmead Vineyards Lmv Salon 2006

  Snoothrank:

  LMV Salon takes all the greatness of their regular Cabernet but then adds layers of fine details in both the nose and the palate. The nose was full of black currant, coca dust, spice and potpourri. The palate was sensuous and full with a fine structure of tannin. Vibrant black cherry... Read moreLMV Salon takes all the greatness of their regular Cabernet but then adds layers of fine details in both the nose and the palate. The nose was full of black currant, coca dust, spice and potpourri. The palate was sensuous and full with a fine structure of tannin. Vibrant black cherry fruit that turns sweet on the mid-palate and a gorgeous long finish.    (hide)

  Wine review by Eric Guido

  
  

• July 2009

  So this is Part two of my official report back to all my fellow forum members that were gracious enough to give me their opinions on what were the “must visit” Napa Valley wineries. Moving along we have two polar opposites that both landed big scores in my book. EMH (Makers... Read moreSo this is Part two of my official report back to all my fellow forum members that were gracious enough to give me their opinions on what were the “must visit” Napa Valley wineries. Moving along we have two polar opposites that both landed big scores in my book. EMH (Makers of “Black Cat”) I was very lucky to have a chance to taste three vintages of “Black Cat” Cabernet from EMH vineyards along with owner Merrill Lindquist. Considering that this tasting took place after a day that included Joseph Phelps and Larkmead, you know that the wine would have to be nothing short of spectacular. They did not disappoint. What made it even better was to have a Merrill tasting along with us telling us the story of Black Cat Cabernet and how it came to be. Black Cat is made from a single plot of land in Calistoga that comes in under an acre of total vines. The production level ends up only in the 125 + cases in any given year. Talk about being able to experience the impact of place between vintages, which is why I bought three vintages worth to enjoy at home. (Borrowed from EMH website) (sorry, left the camera in the car, all other pics are mine) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/about-vineyard.jpg The 2005 Black Cat. The 2005, which had the most age of the three I tried, showed such a lovely floral nose with olive, fig, soy and sour cherry. On the palate it proved to be a wine just coming into prime drinking. Dark, rich fruit yet vibrant and fresh with firm structure. This was my kind of Cab, pretty and elegant on the nose and should be great with food as the balanced acidity carries the rich fruit. Nice long finish. We then moved onto the 2006 Black Cat, which took the elegance of the 2005 but sheathed it in a cloak of dark, brooding fruit. The nose was full of potpourri, cranberry sauce, cocoa powder and a bit of vanilla. The 2006 was the most closed of the three but all the ingredients are there for this bottle to turn into a beauty with a little age. I can’t wait to get this bottle in my home and watch it open up over the course of a day. The 2007 Black Cat confirmed what everyone in Napa seemed to be talking about, and that’s the sheer vibrancy of the 2007 Cabernets. This bottle will certainly have a long life but like many of the 2007’s it’s so hard to not drink it now. On the nose, sour cherry, confectioners sugar and spice. On the palate it was refreshing and mouth filling with rich dark fruit complimented by balanced acidity. This is a fun and showy Cabernet that should turn some heads at future dinners. In the end I find myself looking forward to these wines with quite a bit of anticipation. There’s also quite a bit of excitement that goes with finding and enjoying a wine that I would never have found in my home State. PS: We were also lucky enough to meet Sparkles (The real black cat) Pride http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/DSC_0385.jpg Pride, Pride, Pride… I guess that anyone reading this that has done the Summit Experience knows what I’m talking about. I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun at a winery than I did at Pride. The wine was great but the staff really did a fantastic job as well. I heard some grumblings about Pride losing its focus due to the new winemaker but after holding off on a number of e-mail offers because of this news, I feel like a fool now. I suppose I’m also guilty of thinking of Pride as big rich Cabs that were not my cup of tea, wrong again. There’s a place for everything in this world and me not drinking Pride because I can’t pair it with a wide enough range of foods is silly in retrospect. I look at this much the same way as Amarone, there are just some wines that either demand complicated, rich food or should be used on their own as wines to meditate over. Pride Cabernet is certainly a wine to meditate over but you can surely pair it with cheese, steak and rich pasta dishes. We started out in the vineyards, you could spend half a day at Pride just visiting the vineyards, having a picnic and touring the old winery. The views were magnificent. The guided tour explaining every little detail, why and how these vines are planted, the difference the climate and altitude makes and how this all comes together as the winemaker works to extract as much fruit as possible before it becomes too much. It was one of the most informative winery visits I have ever experienced. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/DSC_0395.jpg I’m sorry that I only took limited notes and so these don’t have the full tastings I’ve given for other wineries but honestly they were amazing. The run down, skipping various barrel samples: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/DSC_0423.jpg 2003 Chardonnay “Vintner Select” - graceful with a little age. Showing butterscotch, lemon, minerals, balanced. 2007 Syrah - Rich with staying power, not typical Napa Syrah. More balance, feels like Southern Rhone. 2006 Merlot (I find it funny that the only note I wrote was “BUY THIS WINE”) 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Currants, dark, brooding, bakeshop sweets and dark chocolate. 2005 Merlot “Vintner Select” - Black cherries and chocolate, spiced cookies, cedar. 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon “Vintner Select” - No notes, but I have a feeling it was because I was enjoying it too much. 2006 Reserve Claret - Focus driven cherry fruit. Blueberry, spice box. Elegant yet… voluptuous. 2005 Reserve Cabernet - Big, rich blue and black fruit. Spices, mocha. Long…. Long… finish. Lastly, the 2005 Reserve Claret, which I was able to get at the winery. We opened this up around 2pm at our hotel for a dinner at 7pm. There we were at Pizzeria Tre Vigne with our 2005 Reserve Claret. The nose alone was intoxicating with raspberry jam, autumnal spices, tobacco, cocoa and a bit of cedar. Full and sensuous on the palate showing currant, blueberry and violets with a long staying finish. Did I mention the view? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/DSC_0394.jpg If in Napa, visit Pride. Still to come, Trespass & Alpha Omega!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Napa Tasting Part 2 (EMH... by Eric Guido

  
  

• July 2009

  Just back from Napa and not only am I satisfied after a great vacation but I have truly gained a new respect for Napa. Being a lover of Italian wine, you read and hear things that are less than complimentary of Napa valley and I’m sure there are producers that fall into the... Read moreJust back from Napa and not only am I satisfied after a great vacation but I have truly gained a new respect for Napa. Being a lover of Italian wine, you read and hear things that are less than complimentary of Napa valley and I’m sure there are producers that fall into the stereotype but I certainly didn’t meet any on this trip. So this is my official report back to all my fellow forum members that were gracious enough to give me their opinions on what were the “must visit” Napa Valley wineries. I left out a few visits out of lack of material or “strange circumstances” but I will say that I didn’t have a single bad experience or tasting that turned out to show poor quality wines. Joseph Phelps http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/DSC_0263.jpg At Phelps I choose to participate in “Tasting Terroir”, which is a tasting based around the different locations that Phelps pulls its grapes from to make Insignia. We also tasted four wines from their new “Freestone” winery. This was hosted by one of their wine educators named, Michael Cawelti who was extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. I remember a member of our forum who mentioned that it was difficult to taste at Phelps due to how young the wines are that they present you. But honestly, at $30 per person, we tasted 9 - 10 wines that ranged from Sonoma Syrah, Chardonnay, to the blending constitutes of Insignia. This was all topped off at the end with the latest Insignia release. Even at their young states these wines were all worth tasting and some just plain gorgeous in their youth. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/DSC_0265.jpg The new Freestone wines were fantastic. We tasted the 2007 Ovation, Chardonnay and the Estate bottling - The estate bottle was easily a step above the Ovation. Both gave great pleasure, balance and pure fruit but the estate bottle provided a greater amount of focus, a more noticeable amount of oak yet kept a clean refreshing finish. Next up was the 2007 Fog Dog, Pinot Noir followed by the Estate bottle. Fogdog was a fun Pinot with just the right amount of earthy funk and dark red fruit to please a pinot drinker. The estate bottle was more elegant and managed to walk a tight rope between the rich, ripe pinots of Sonoma and the lighter, earthy pinots I’ve loved from Oregon. I just don’t know if the quality justifies the cost with all the great Pinot out there. The two Cabernet blending wines we tasted were from St. Helena and Stags leap. Both beautiful wines that could have easily been released on their own and you can certainly see how these two lend their personalities to the finished Insignia. The Stag’s leap was softer, sweeter and with a full voluptuous body while the St. Helena was a menagerie of aromas that could keep you sniffing for 15 minutes before you even take a sip. This alone made it a great tasting for the Insignia lover. The last thing we tasted was the 2005 Insignia, which was in beautiful form this day. It was obviously young but still showing so many layers of rich red fruit, spice and dusty velvety dark notes on the palate. What a way to end the tasting. I would highly recommend visiting Joseph Phelps to anyone visiting Napa. Larkmead Vineyards http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/DSC_0443.jpg Larkmead came highly recommended by the members of this and other forums and now I can see why. Driving up to this unassuming winery and tasting room, you’d never know just how amazing your visit would be. The staff in the tasting room was great but on top of that we were lucky enough to have Assistant Wine Maker, Dan Petroski to guide us through the winery and a tasting of two vintages of LMV Salon. One of those tastings were right from tank as the winery was bottling the 2007 vintage on that day. In a word… Wow. I don’t know how I spent so many years as a wine lover without ever coming across these magnificent wines and it’s not just the Cabernet that rang my bell. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Violentfix/Napa/DSC_0445.jpg We started with a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, which was a fresh as a spring day in a field of wild flowers. Mouth filling with honeydew and lime on the palate yet with refreshing acidity. Staying finish full of mineral and pineapple. It was a beautiful expression of this varietal. Next we were served a 2008 Tocai Friulano. It was hard to keep myself from asking for a refill. Talk about a delicate balance. The nose was rich with almond and lemon cookies. On the palate it was mouth coating with a medium body and showed pear, honeydew and white flowers. All of this was showcased with a level of acidity that kept all of its rich, full flavored components in check. It was a great example of what a skilled wine maker can do with this grape in Napa valley. From memory, I believe this came from very old vines. It was simply a great glass of wine. Following this was the 2006 Firebelle Blend, a blend that’s primarily Merlot 55%, Cabernet 35% along with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc and Malbec. My first mistake was thinking of this as a Californian Merlot blend because it’s so much more than that. The nose was intense with red licorice, forest floor and cedar box. It had a gorgeous structure that will carry it for years to come. Filled to the brim with intense cherry fruit and spice. I wish I had more time with this wine but Napa’s appointment only system caused me to feel rushed. In the end, this is something I want in my cellar. This brought us to the Cabs, which were among the best that we tasted on our visit. Unfortunately my notes are spares on these bottles because we had really got to talking about the wine and as we did that the pen was put down. Here’s what I can say, the 2006 Napa Cabernet was classic in every way. One of the best I tasted in and over it’s price point. It was satisfying and full yet structured. If you are looking for the next $50 - $60 Cabernet that tastes like it costs much more, look no further. I couldn’t believe this was their entry level Cab that is until Dan pulled out the LMV Salon. The 2006 LMV Salon takes all the greatness of their regular Cabernet but then adds layers of fine details in both the nose and the palate. The nose was full of black currant, coca dust, spice and potpourri. The palate was sensuous and full with a fine structure of tannin. Vibrant black cherry fruit that turns sweet on the mid-palate and a gorgeous long finish. The 2007 LMV Salon was tasted standing next to the tank it was being bottled from. I may not have written any notes but I can tell you that it struck me as vibrant, rich and layered. It had all the detail of the 2006 but with a livelier personality. All of the Larkmead wines were fantastic. So fantastic that I signed up for the Firebelle club before leaving. Quite simply, this was a great lineup. In the next few days I'll be posting my experiences from EMH, Pride, Trespass and Alpha Omega.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Napa tastings (Larkmead &... by Eric Guido

  
  
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  July 2009

  Valle Dell'Asso Galatina 2006

  Snoothrank:

  this is my first negramaro. bouquet (literally) of cinnamon, potpourri and alcohol heat. smells like a stepford wives tupperware party. this is bitter and rustic with a touch of new world fruit. almost a wasabi element on the palate that irritated my nasal cavity. went well with... Read morethis is my first negramaro. bouquet (literally) of cinnamon, potpourri and alcohol heat. smells like a stepford wives tupperware party. this is bitter and rustic with a touch of new world fruit. almost a wasabi element on the palate that irritated my nasal cavity. went well with turkey meat red sauce pasta but it's not much of a sipper afterwards. this is food wine.    (hide)

  Wine review by aronowm2

  
  
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  July 2009

  Via Vecchio Pinot Grigio 2008

  Snoothrank:

  Menthol, mint and soap aromas. Tropical fruits of lychee and mango, the wine is ... and overly fruity - real pot pourri flavors. Pear drops and lemon bon bons. Too sweet for me

  Wine review by Philip

  
  
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  May 2009

  Castello di Borghese Cabernet Franc 2005

  Snoothrank:

  beautiful potpourri bouqet. notes of menthol, clove and blackberries. pinot without the residual sugar. a smooth well-balanced spicy wine that went well with veal meatballs. it's tough to find a better american made cabernet franc for $20.

  Wine review by aronowm2

  
  
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  May 2009

  Midlife Crisis Nebbiolo 2006

  Snoothrank:

  terrific potpourri meets jelly belly cotton candy nose with a touch of buttered popcorn. this wine is super light bodied. almost looks like a Rose. the mouthfeel is surprisingly full and creamy. bright acidity with a sour cherry cream pie profile. definitely one of the more unique... Read moreterrific potpourri meets jelly belly cotton candy nose with a touch of buttered popcorn. this wine is super light bodied. almost looks like a Rose. the mouthfeel is surprisingly full and creamy. bright acidity with a sour cherry cream pie profile. definitely one of the more unique wines I have had.    (hide)

  Wine review by aronowm2

  
  
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  March 2009

  Kistler Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley Kistler Vineyard 1987

  Snoothrank:

  Well aged , but still with a lot of oak and fruit. It's soft and surprisingly floral (potpourri).

  Wine review by Philip

  
  

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