Ptp 15

• March 2009

  We concluded our Cabernet GTi this past Friday with a small gathering of the faithful. Admittedly scheduling, or rather rescheduling, this PTP tasting for a Friday caused conflict with many attendee’s calendars but the show must go on so with sporadic assistance from some of my... Read moreWe concluded our Cabernet GTi this past Friday with a small gathering of the faithful. Admittedly scheduling, or rather rescheduling, this PTP tasting for a Friday caused conflict with many attendee’s calendars but the show must go on so with sporadic assistance from some of my fellow Snooth employees we managed to slog through a reduced roster of 9 wines. Continuing our reliance on primarily domestic producers, our line-up was decidedly California heavy this week, with only one interloper.  We had a decidedly mixed bag none the less with a surprising group of rather expensive wines, admittedly performing well, but I’m not sure there is a much of a market for these wines today. Not to begin a diatribe against rather expensive wine, there are of course reasons for such, but it remains a challenge to truly recommend wines past a certain price point. Purely on a qualitative level it is in fact easy to do, many $70 wines are excellent, as the damn well should be. Sadly many are neither excellent nor particularly distinguished, except perhaps for their slavish mediocrity. But I digress. My point here is simply that past a certain price point recommending a wine is fraught with the peril of value. A misguided recommendation not only results in a waste of money but the opportunity that money represented could easily have been diverted to several bottle that could have delivered more satisfaction. I am certainly comfortable in a failed recommendation at $20. These things happen and we all have palate preferences, some easily understood, others less so.  Crossing the $50 line, to draw an arbitrary boundary, changes the game. Not that I will, or should refrain from recommending wines priced above $50. I am happy to continue to offer my opinions of these regardless of price. Instead what I would suggest is that perhaps the supply chain can adjust to our current situation and make wines available at more comfortable prices, for awhile at least. Now that’s a shock, ain’t it?  Imagine wineries, distributors and retailers all taking a bit of a mark-down to help us all out during these tough times. A bit of sharing the pain. I understand that times are tough for all, and the purveyors of an expensive, discretionary purchase may very well be hurting more than most but therein lies the honest truth. In the long run a producer who is able to bring his product to market at, say, a 25% discount, to grab another convenient yet arbitrary number out of the ether, will not only be rewarded with new customers, with whose fortune the winery will rise in future, better times, but will also differentiate themselves from the pack in the eye of the media. Becoming a media darling while producing excellent, affordable wines sounds like a path to success in these days of rising personal savings rates and falling disposable income. If any producer thinks there is something to this I would love to hear from them. As a gratuitous, and totally out of context, adjunct to what may have turned into a diatribe let me just single out Edmunds St. John winery for pretty much doing just this. But that too is best left to another day so for the moment: on to the Cabernet! Flight 1 - Cabernet Blends 2005 Montevina Terre d’Oro Forte 55% Amador Sangiovese/ 45% Napa Cabernet 13.5% Groups #5/ My #6   $23 Matt found this to be “very closed” though with time he did get “ some sort of creamy pinot-like notes on the nose.” Yet found it lacked “much distinctive flavor.” Toni felt this had “nothing to it but a little bit of vanilla oakiness.” Though she did not that while the  “finish was smooth it got dryer and dryer and dryer.”  I definitely had a different take on this finding it fruity on both the palate and the nose and while it lacked a bit of complexity it made up for it in friendly, juicy appeal. 2005 Paraduxx  60% Zinfandel/32% Cab sauv/6% Merlot/2% Cabernet Franc 14.5% Groups #9/ My #8  $40 Toni felt that this “smelled very harsh at times with a lot of earth and strawberry but not in a good way” and continued that while this “may be way too young, finish was harsh too.” Matt noted “heat and cotton candy” on the nose adding that this” smells like an oaky Washington cab.”  While Matt did find some “sour cherry on the finish” he felt the wine was  “very sour and just too hot.”  I was pretty much of the same thought. This was a hot, simple and generally uninspiring wine. 2005 Pininfarina vino rosso nap valley  60% Cabernet Sauvignon/29% Cabernet Franc/ 6% Sangiovese/5% Petit Verdot 14.5% Groups #4/ My #5 $75 Matt felt this smelled Italian with a “barnyard type smell and a little bit of manure” and found the tannins to be “very bitter” with  “not much fruit showing just a little bit of cherry and a bitter finish” finding it to need “a couple more years.” Toni “liked this wine” finding that “once it opened there was a richness to the aroma,.” She continued that while it is  “medium bodied it got stronger as it sat with good notes of plums and black fruit with a very dry smooth finish.”  For me this, while fairly oaky, had a lot going on in a slightly firm style with plenty of fruit held in check by attractive notes of herb and mineral. I look forward to trying this again. Flight 2 -  Cabernet from near and far 2006 Duck Shack Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 14.4% Groups #8/ My #9 $30 Mark found this offered up aromas of  “sugary red fruits” yet was “light, bright and very acidic with subdued flavors” though he did add that “the tannins are a bit harsh and too astringent.”  Toni also commented on the “ very high acidity and very rough and woolly dry tannins” but did find “great herbs and minerals dancing with some fruit but not a good mix” feeling that this was simply  “not put together well.” Matt felt this was a “wine trying to very artisan but the fruit isn’t up to the quality of the wine making.”  I found this to be clumsy and hot with aggressive tannins and acids that lingered long after the candied flavors where a mere memory. 2006 Penley Estate Phoenix Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Groups #7/ My #7 $15 Matt this wine to be “very gamy on the nose and on the palate with a generic feel, astringent and tasteless.” Toni- though the “nose is on the light side with violets and black cherries” and found the palate offered up “spicy, earthy, herby, almost not ripe enough fruit” adding that this was “not a wine I would buy.” Mark noted the nose was  “slightly herbal and cherry” with “bright red fruit flavors with leather and spice in a very refreshing style.”  I found this to be very typical new world Cabernet with big candied fruits on the nose and a creamy mid-palate that was cut by aggressive acids. Solid as opposed to inspiring. 2003 Pietra Santa Cienega Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Signature Collection 14.9% Groups #1/ My #2 $45 Toni noted that this had a “very high alcohol nose that was very complex and intense with jammy black cherries.” In the mouth she found this to be  “rich and dark with a long smooth finish and the feel of a good, expensive wine.” Mark found the nose to be “a little bit floral, fungal and earthy” with  “deep black fruit and a great smooth mouthfeel, with ripe, deep cherries and a hint of mint on the finish.” Matt also felt that this showed a lot of alcohol but noted “its very well contained heat” and felt that the wine’s “big blackness of the blackberry fruit envelopes the heat and keeps it at bay.” This is not our first encounter with the wines of Pietra Santa and the consistently fair very well in our tastings  Flight 3 - Napa Valley Cabernet 2005 Neyers AME Napa Valley Cabernet 14.7% Groups #2/ My #4 $70 Matt felt that this was reminiscent of a really big Zin with lots of blueberries, and a big rich, really dark and inky mouthfeel.” Chris felt that this was “closed with a nose dominated by char, toast and marshmallow” but did enjoy “ the bright citrus notes and good tannins.” Mark found the nose to be herbaceous, black olivey and almost oily” and “really enjoyed the bright ripe cherries and black olives with nice notes of gunpowder and sugar.” After not getting much on the nose Toni was “pleasantly surprised by the deep black cherry fruit with hints of herbs and mineral” and while she felt this to be “an excellent wine” she did add the caveat that “it needs a lot of time.” This is a rather massive wine packed with dry extract and while there is a core of lovely ripe fruit it’s not easy to get at. A decidedly chocolately and plummy wine. 2005 Miner Family Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 14.2% Groups #3/ My #1 $60 Chris left little to the imagination summing this wine up as “oaky, I’m drinking a vanilla, cedar tree.”  Matt felt this “tasted a little disjointed” and got only “heat and licorice.” Toni “loved the nose, deep rich and very fruity in a good way” and found “lots of black cherry and jammy black currants” in the mouth adding that the “ acid seems a little too high.”  Mark found the nose here to be “interesting with bright fruit and eucalyptus” with “good clean fruit on the palate.”  Again while there was obvious oak here I found this to be well balanced and complex with a elegant touch  that is hard to find in wines of this size. 2005 Cornerstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 14.8% Groups #6/ My #3 $60 Toni found this wine to be “ completely unappealing, full of leather and spic” adding the “only good thing about this wine is a strong black cherry undertone.” Mark noted the “floral nose with honey, black fruit and a powdery light chalk note” and added that this was “ great if you like that minty, cough syrup, medicinal style.” Matt though he caught an ”Italian vibe” with this wine commenting on the “barnyard nose with a manure element” but did add that this “tastes like an expensive free for all Meritage.”  Chris, man of few words, added that this “smells like Ethiopian food, hot and full of tree bark.”  This is a tight, tough gamy ball of fruit with an overlay of fine French oak. This needs time but has the balance to emerge as a winner. Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic PTP 15 - Cabernet Sauvignon by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• March 2009

  PTP 15 - Cabernet Sauvignon We concluded our Cabernet GTi this past Friday with a small gathering of the faithful. Admittedly scheduling, or rather rescheduling, this PTP tasting for a Friday caused conflict with many attendee's calendars but the show must go on so with sporadic... Read morePTP 15 - Cabernet Sauvignon We concluded our Cabernet GTi this past Friday with a small gathering of the faithful. Admittedly scheduling, or rather rescheduling, this PTP tasting for a Friday caused conflict with many attendee's calendars but the show must go on so with sporadic assistance from some of my fellow Snooth employees we managed to slog through a reduced roster of 9 wines. Continuing our reliance on primarily domestic producers, our line-up was decidedly California heavy this week, with only one interloper.  We had a decidedly mixed bag none the less with a surprising group of rather expensive wines, admittedly performing well, but I'm not sure there is a much of a market for these wines today. Not to begin a diatribe against rather expensive wine, there are of course reasons for such, but it remains a challenge to truly recommend wines past a certain price point. Purely on a qualitative level it is in fact easy to do, many $70 wines are excellent, as the damn well should be. Sadly many are neither excellent nor particularly distinguished, except perhaps for their slavish mediocrity. But I digress. My point here is simply that past a certain price point recommending a wine is fraught with the peril of value. A misguided recommendation not only results in a waste of money but the opportunity that money represented could easily have been diverted to several bottle that could have delivered more satisfaction. I am certainly comfortable in a failed recommendation at $20. These things happen and we all have palate preferences, some easily understood, others less so.  Crossing the $50 line, to draw an arbitrary boundary, changes the game. Not that I will, or should refrain from recommending wines priced above $50. I am happy to continue to offer my opinions of these regardless of price. Instead what I would suggest is that perhaps the supply chain can adjust to our current situation and make wines available at more comfortable prices, for awhile at least. Now that's a shock, ain't it?  Imagine wineries, distributors and retailers all taking a bit of a mark-down to help us all out during these tough times. A bit of sharing the pain. I understand that times are tough for all, and the purveyors of an expensive, discretionary purchase may very well be hurting more than most but therein lies the honest truth. In the long run a producer who is able to bring his product to market at, say, a 25% discount, to grab another convenient yet arbitrary number out of the ether, will not only be rewarded with new customers, with whose fortune the winery will rise in future, better times, but will also differentiate themselves from the pack in the eye of the media. Becoming a media darling while producing excellent, affordable wines sounds like a path to success in these days of rising personal savings rates and falling disposable income. If any producer thinks there is something to this I would love to hear from them. As a gratuitous, and totally out of context, adjunct to what may have turned into a diatribe let me just single out Edmunds St. John winery for pretty much doing just this. But that too is best left to another day so for the moment: on to the Cabernet! Flight 1 - Cabernet Blends 2005 Montevina Terre d'Oro Forte 55% Amador Sangiovese/ 45% Napa Cabernet 13.5% Groups #5/ My #6   $23 Matt found this to be “very closed” though with time he did get “ some sort of creamy pinot-like notes on the nose.” Yet found it lacked “much distinctive flavor.” Toni felt this had “nothing to it but a little bit of vanilla oakiness.” Though she did not that while the  “finish was smooth it got dryer and dryer and dryer.”  I definitely had a different take on this finding it fruity on both the palate and the nose and while it lacked a bit of complexity it made up for it in friendly, juicy appeal. 2005 Paraduxx  60% Zinfandel/32% Cab sauv/6% Merlot/2% Cabernet Franc 14.5% Groups #9/ My #8  $40 Toni felt that this “smelled very harsh at times with a lot of earth and strawberry but not in a good way” and continued that while this “may be way too young, finish was harsh too.” Matt noted “heat and cotton candy” on the nose adding that this” smells like an oaky Washington cab.”  While Matt did find some “sour cherry on the finish” he felt the wine was  “very sour and just too hot.”  I was pretty much of the same thought. This was a hot, simple and generally uninspiring wine. 2005 Pininfarina vino rosso nap valley  60% Cabernet Sauvignon/29% Cabernet Franc/ 6% Sangiovese/5% Petit Verdot 14.5% Groups #4/ My #5 $75 Matt felt this smelled Italian with a “barnyard type smell and a little bit of manure” and found the tannins to be “very bitter” with  “not much fruit showing just a little bit of cherry and a bitter finish” finding it to need “a couple more years.” Toni “liked this wine” finding that “once it opened there was a richness to the aroma,.” She continued that while it is  “medium bodied it got stronger as it sat with good notes of plums and black fruit with a very dry smooth finish.”  For me this, while fairly oaky, had a lot going on in a slightly firm style with plenty of fruit held in check by attractive notes of herb and mineral. I look forward to trying this again. Flight 2 -  Cabernet from near and far 2006 Duck Shack Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 14.4% Groups #8/ My #9 $30 Mark found this offered up aromas of  “sugary red fruits” yet was “light, bright and very acidic with subdued flavors” though he did add that “the tannins are a bit harsh and too astringent.”  Toni also commented on the “ very high acidity and very rough and woolly dry tannins” but did find “great herbs and minerals dancing with some fruit but not a good mix” feeling that this was simply  “not put together well.” Matt felt this was a “wine trying to very artisan but the fruit isn't up to the quality of the wine making.”  I found this to be clumsy and hot with aggressive tannins and acids that lingered long after the candied flavors where a mere memory. 2006 Penley Estate Phoenix Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Groups #7/ My #7 $15 Matt this wine to be “very gamy on the nose and on the palate with a generic feel, astringent and tasteless.” Toni- though the “nose is on the light side with violets and black cherries” and found the palate offered up “spicy, earthy, herby, almost not ripe enough fruit” adding that this was “not a wine I would buy.” Mark noted the nose was  “slightly herbal and cherry” with “bright red fruit flavors with leather and spice in a very refreshing style.”  I found this to be very typical new world Cabernet with big candied fruits on the nose and a creamy mid-palate that was cut by aggressive acids. Solid as opposed to inspiring. 2003 Pietra Santa Cienega Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Signature Collection 14.9% Groups #1/ My #2 $45 Toni noted that this had a “very high alcohol nose that was very complex and intense with jammy black cherries.” In the mouth she found this to be  “rich and dark with a long smooth finish and the feel of a good, expensive wine.” Mark found the nose to be “a little bit floral, fungal and earthy” with  “deep black fruit and a great smooth mouthfeel, with ripe, deep cherries and a hint of mint on the finish.” Matt also felt that this showed a lot of alcohol but noted “its very well contained heat” and felt that the wine's “big blackness of the blackberry fruit envelopes the heat and keeps it at bay.” This is not our first encounter with the wines of Pietra Santa and the consistently fair very well in our tastings  Flight 3 - Napa Valley Cabernet 2005 Neyers AME Napa Valley Cabernet 14.7% Groups #2/ My #4 $70 Matt felt that this was reminiscent of a really big Zin with lots of blueberries, and a big rich, really dark and inky mouthfeel.” Chris felt that this was “closed with a nose dominated by char, toast and marshmallow” but did enjoy “ the bright citrus notes and good tannins.” Mark found the nose to be herbaceous, black olivey and almost oily” and “really enjoyed the bright ripe cherries and black olives with nice notes of gunpowder and sugar.” After not getting much on the nose Toni was “pleasantly surprised by the deep black cherry fruit with hints of herbs and mineral” and while she felt this to be “an excellent wine” she did add the caveat that “it needs a lot of time.” This is a rather massive wine packed with dry extract and while there is a core of lovely ripe fruit it's not easy to get at. A decidedly chocolately and plummy wine. 2005 Miner Family Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 14.2% Groups #3/ My #1 $60 Chris left little to the imagination summing this wine up as “oaky, I'm drinking a vanilla, cedar tree.”  Matt felt this “tasted a little disjointed” and got only “heat and licorice.” Toni “loved the nose, deep rich and very fruity in a good way” and found “lots of black cherry and jammy black currants” in the mouth adding that the “ acid seems a little too high.”  Mark found the nose here to be “interesting with bright fruit and eucalyptus” with “good clean fruit on the palate.”  Again while there was obvious oak here I found this to be well balanced and complex with a elegant touch  that is hard to find in wines of this size. 2005 Cornerstone Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 14.8% Groups #6/ My #3 $60 Toni found this wine to be “ completely unappealing, full of leather and spice” adding the “only good thing about this wine is a strong black cherry undertone.” Mark noted the “floral nose with honey, black fruit and a powdery light chalk note” and added that this was “ great if you like that minty, cough syrup, medicinal style.” Matt though he caught an ”Italian vibe” with this wine commenting on the “barnyard nose with a manure element” but did add that this “tastes like an expensive free for all Meritage.”  Chris, man of few words, added that this “smells like Ethiopian food, hot and full of tree bark.”  This is a tight, tough gamy ball of fruit with an overlay of fine French oak. This needs time but has the balance to emerge as a winner. Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager          (hide)

  From the article PTP 15 - Cabernet Sauvignon

  
  

• March 2009

  Tempranillo - Back to the Basics After last week’s lopsided report on Tempranillo I though we needed to refocus ourselves on some of the great regions in Spain that have made Tempranillo what it is today. A small group of Snooth members met in our conference room for the weekly... Read more Tempranillo - Back to the Basics After last week’s lopsided report on Tempranillo I though we needed to refocus ourselves on some of the great regions in Spain that have made Tempranillo what it is today. A small group of Snooth members met in our conference room for the weekly PTP blind tasting. Of course, we still had to include a few domestic wines just to keep things interesting. As with last week’s tasting, the results were fairly predictable. The best domestic examples speak loudly of their variety while the Spaniards have their unmistakable accent, rich with deep, dusky soil tones and layered complexities. Perhaps the wonderfully knarled, dry farmed old vines have something to do with that? While I am very enthusiastic about Tempranillo in California, my notes from last week’s tasting can be found here, I’m not sure how these wines will evolve in the cellar. I would recommend drinking them sooner, for the lush, bright fruit. The Spanish wines, in general, have a record for ageing well and even though they may see some of the most extended barrel ageing practiced today, the wines tend to defy the affects of time. In many cases the current release offerings demand additional cellaring before becoming tame enough for many palates. With that in mind I present to you this week’s winners! California Wines for Current Consumption 2005 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Vista Creek Vineyards Paso Robles $15 This is a value priced revelation, full of classic herbal, burnt citrus, floral and earthy notes that frame the tense fruit, delivering a complex yet freshly fruity wine that is delightful. Starting at $15.00 2005 C3 Crazy Eights California $38 A veritable fruit bomb yet with bright acidity that keeps this lightly textured and allows the mouth filling and intense wild cherry and watermelon fruits to shine through. Starting at $38.00 Spanish Wines for Today and Tomorrow 2004 Ochoa Navarra Crianza $12 Smooth and silky with notes of forest floor, beef and leather accenting the dark berry fruit. A wine with lovely balance from Rioja’s Eastern neighbor. Starting at $12.00 2000 Miguel Merino Rioja Reserva $40 With a classic interplay of red fruit and vanilla in the mouth, an elegant, mid-weight feel and a hauntingly sweet finish of sour cherry, vanilla and café-au-lait tones this is simply drinking perfectly today. Starting at $40.00 A Cellar Selection for Today’s World 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero $18 If you are looking for a GREAT wine for the cellar that won’t break the bank THIS IS IT. Smelling a touch gamy with notes of coffee, meat and earth over deep blackberry fruit this packs a tannic wallop in the mouth. Dense and chewy and in need of cellaring but the licorice and cocoa tones reverberate on the long finish. This is a remarkable value. Starting at $18.00 And with that it’s time to move on as we continue our Global Tasting initiative by turning to Cabernet Sauvignon. You can see the wines tasted during the Tempranillo GTi by reading this thread in our forum. Watch out for our upcoming feature on our vertical tasting of Gundlach-Bundschu’s Cabernet Sauvignon that will include a special opportunity for Snooth members to secure these perfectly aged wines directly from the winery's Library stocks! Snooth: Helping you find better wine. Gregory Dal Piaz Community Manager Snooth    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Tempranillo - Back to the... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• March 2009

  We as consumers tend to get caught up in trends whether we like it or not. The wine world is terribly susceptible to these trends, due primarily to the few voices speaking for so many. Witness the recent explosion in popularity of West Coast Pinot Noir. While this is not the time... Read moreWe as consumers tend to get caught up in trends whether we like it or not. The wine world is terribly susceptible to these trends, due primarily to the few voices speaking for so many. Witness the recent explosion in popularity of West Coast Pinot Noir. While this is not the time nor the place for a diatribe against Pinot Noir let me just say that one of the reasons we have so much Pinot Noir, good and not so good, is because it has been acclaimed and anointed with many points, and that made it wildly profitable. Consumers are asked to forget that Pinot Noir, the grape likes cooler climates in order to produce Pinot Noir, the wine, of any quality. We have been told that these big, rich, candied Pinots coming from the west coast are GREAT wines. I for one don’t think so but that is besides the point. What is the point then? I am glad you asked. The point is that California’s winemakers would be well served in experimenting with grapes that thrive in regions that are similar to those in California. Not a groundbreaking idea but I minor application of the sensibility so often lacking in business. Now sometimes this works and sometime it doesn’t but take a look at these two pictures: one is Spain’s Rioja Region the other California’s Calaveras county. Sort of similar don’t you think? Beyond this obvious comparison, there are further similarities between the two regions. They are both dry, hot, somewhat windy regions with moderate elevations, and in both regions Tempranillo THRIVES. It produces wines that are better balanced, more complex and an all around better value than Pinot Noir! Heresy you say? Well seek one of these wines out and try it, then get back to me. I am not saying that California Tempranillo is the equivalent of some of Spain’s greatest wines. Rioja, for example is made in a plethora of styles, many trying too hard to emulate the anonymous yet expensive wines of every region in the world that is striving to make anonymous yet expensive wines, frequently with fanciful proprietary names. There is an expression in Spanish for these wines, ironically it’s “alta expression” which evidently is Spanish for “Super Tuscan” or “cult wine wannabe”. Many of these “alta expression” wines have lost their character and sense of place. Wines from Rioja speak not only of their place, and the small percentages of blending grapes, Mazuela, Garnacha and Graciano, that compliment the predominant Tempranillo, but also of the unique winemaking that had developed there. It’s time for us all to return to wine’s roots and seek out the unique expressions that until recently were tucked away in every winemaking region. A century ago while the Phylloxera louse ravaged the vineyards of France much of Europe and Great Britain turned to Spain, where the sandy soils slowed the advance of the root louse, for wine. Spain’s winemakers where able to take advantage of this newfound demand and catered to the tastes of their new clientele by ageing their wines in oak, much like was done in Bordeaux. Fortuitously, the Spaniards were unable to afford the expensive French oak and turned instead to American oak for cooperage. This cheaper oak imparted rich tones of vanilla and even coconut to the Spanish wines instead of the spicier ginger and cedar notes that French wood generally offers. To be honest whether or not this is or was a good thing is a personal preference but one need only to take a taste of the anonymous, heavily spiced wines of the “alta expression” and their brethren to see that Tempranillo fairs much better in American oak as opposed to the French oak that is all the rage today. You see it’s not only consumers who get caught up in fads. In addition to planting Pinot where Pinot should not be planted wine producers have flocked like lemmings to the French barrique for ageing their wine giving so many modern wines a similar character that obscures much of the nuance inherent in many varietal wines. Ok so I said it, but it’s not a universal truth. The rich and sturdy wines based on Cabernet and Merlot have a special affinity for French oak and even Barbera in Italy and Malbec in Argentina work well with the spice and tannins imparted by barrique. But when it comes to Tempranillo, and in particular Spanish Tempranillo, there is something to be said for older, large American oak barrels as a aging vessel. The classic notes of coconut and vanilla that the American oak imparts seems to pair perfectly with the subtle oxidative notes that the wines gain in barrel and the fruit of Tempranillo seems to be able to withstand this treatment in a rather unique way, still happily expressing it’s wonderful raspberry/strawberry notes even after years in barrel and bottle. I was fortunate to have participated recently in a fine tasting of old Rioja dating from 1981 to 1925. Some of the wines represented the first wines of the so-called Modern style that lead to the “alta expression” movement. Some were wonderful, others less so, but that can easily be due to these being the first tentative steps down that slippery slope. What was undeniable was that the greatest, grandest wines of the tasting were traditionally made Rioja that had stood the test of time. There are very few wines that can compete with Rioja of this age and that is a remarkable and, unfortunately, frequently overlooked fact. Why are these wines no longer being made? Has the pool of lovers of traditional Rioja dwindled to 12 people in New York? Of course not, so why of why is traditional Rioja going the way of the Dodo? I can’t answer that. I have my theories of course, they include points and palates and dollar and cents. What does surprise me though is that this movement away from tradition seems to have recently gained momentum in Spain while at the same time it has lost steam in other regions, such as Piedmont and the Rhone. There are of course people toiling away in anonymity, producing wines that may make my heart swoon, but at the same time easily passed over in big comparative tastings. And there must be brave importers out there discovering these producers and working, like Don Quixote against the odds, to get the word out. We can only hope so, and for those of you happy with the “alta expression” wines, please don’t hold my words against me. I am not entirely against them, I can even enjoy them, but I can pretty much get them from anywhere. California is doing wonderful things with Tempranillo but they can never be Rioja. I have recently tasting several current release Tempranillos and have posted my notes on Snooth but the old Riojas enjoyed last week deserve their own review, which I have placed here. So where does that leave us? Well it left me with our second Tempranillo PTP yesterday that included a few examples from California, which compared quite favorably to the line-up from some of the great regions of Spain. I did, in fact, prefer the top Spaniards to the top Californians in this limited sample but the Coral Mustang and Truchard did have an undeniable appeal. My personal notes can be found here and what follows are the consensus notes from our group of tasters. Me- Snooth's Community Manager Ali - Wine Professional Marty - Wine Enthusiast Steve - Wine Enthusiast Stephanie - Wine Professional Beth _ Wine Professional And our line-up included Flight 1 2006 Milcampos Ribera del Duero 13.5% $15 Groups 12th place wine/ my 12th place wine Ali noted the “black cherry and fudge” on the nose and found the palate to be “ kind of soft and lacking structure with some bitter chocolate and a little strawberry fruit.” Marty generally agreed though he found more “ strawberry and raspberry fruit” on the nose and thought the wine to be “well balanced.” Steve was of a like mind noting “ this is a little bitter on the palate but it finishes with strong flavors.” Well you can’t argue with the consensus, this was a rustic little wine that smelled a bit of cheap perfume and soap. 2007 Ardales Tierra de Castilla 14% $12 Groups 11th place wine/ my 11th place wine Steve found this to be “very oaky on the nose” but felt the wine “ was smooth as was the finish.” Stephanie thought the fruit to be “ kind of green” and felt the palate was “ not very well balanced with a mouthwatering sensation followed by really puckery tannins.” Ali also got a some green notes feeling the wine showed “ violets and tomato on the herbal palate.” A bit of an oaky wine that showed the vegetal side of Tempranillo. This is a certified organic product and all of the wineries vineyards are farmed organically. 2006 Monte Negro Ribera del Duero 13.5% $20 Groups 10th place wine/ my 10th place wine Stephanie found “vanilla, cola, cinnamon and plummy fruit” in this wine but also felt that “ the tannins are a bit too tight, this needs some time.” A sentiment echoed by Beth who noted “ some spices on the nose and while this is fairly fresh in the mouth the tannins have too much grip leaving a bitter finish.” Both Ali and Steve disagreed somewhat with Steve finding the wine to be “smooth” while Ali added, “ this is lacking in structure.” I though this was a nice rustic wine with crisp fruit tannins. Flight 2 2006 C3 Tempranillo Santa Barbara County 14.9% $18 Groups 7th place wine/ my 8th place wine Marty “liked this wine very much” with its “lovely deep, sweet cherry nose, nice mouthfeel and long cherry finish.” Steve felt that while this was “ very smooth and soft with light strawberry/cherry fruit” it was only “ pleasant.” Bothe Stephanie and Beth found an element of the nose off-putting with Beth commenting that there was “ a fresh stinky feet smell” and Stephanie noting that she found an initial “ pinot bean fest” on the nose. Beth also found the wine to exhibit a consistent “teaberry gum note on both the nose and palate.” Lots of zesty spicy fruit here but this is a touch simple for me. 2005 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Vista Creek Vineyards Paso Robles 14.5% $15 Ali began the discussion by noting the “ very earthy, iron and floral nose” and found the palate to be a” really balanced and sweet package of cola and confected cherry.” Marty on the other hand thought this was a “real light weight’ with a “muted nose.” Stephanie thought this smelled a bit of “bourbon, with the alcohol and vanilla” but liked the “ chewy tannins, tangy acidity and bitter chocolate notes but the finish is a little hot.” This was a very nice California rendition of Tempranillo that didn’t try too hard to be something it’s not. Bravo. Groups 6th place wine/ my 3rd place wine 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero Vendimia Seleccionada 14.5% $20 Groups 5th place wine/ my 7th place wine Marty felt this was ‘ another lightweight with ok structure but not much finish.” Steve also felt this was “ short on the finish” but liked it’s “full-bodied feel.” Beth found “a cheesy note at first and then something green olivey” but felt that the “ tannins were a bit harsh and this reminded me of unsweetened cola. It needs a hunk of meat.” This was a bit of a tannic wine but the requisite fruit seemed to be there though the fruit was definitely leaning towards the tarry, licorice end of the spectrum. Flight 3 2004 Ochoa Navarra Crianza 13% $12 Groups 9th place wine/ my 10th place wine While this was generally well liked there were a range of reads on it with Ali finding this “ really complex with a slightly green, earthy note and lots of cherry, chocolate and rum on the nose while the palate had more of that greenness with coffee and red fruit and a juicy finish.” Beth felt this smelled of “ raspberry jam and robitussin with mulling spices and a bit of earthiness” and found “black licorice and darker berries on the palate with iron and mineral notes.” Marty found the happy medium finding this to be a “ lovely deep fruity nose with black fruit and meat” and felt the “ balance was wonderful with a long cherry finish.” This was a very nice wine but to me had a bit of a yogurty/blueberry thing going on that made this feel a touch anonymous. 2004 Truchard Tempranillo Carneros Napa Valley 14.1% $25 Groups 4th place wine/ my 6th place wine Steve noted the “ strong vanilla on the nose” but felt that this was a “ very pleasant wine, short but nice and very young feeling.” Stephanie raised the ante when she characterized the nose as “ seductive chocolate with ripe red fruit and a bit of coconut.” She continued noting that the wine was “ripe but not overripe on the palate with vanilla, spice and cinnamon leading to the port-like finish.” Ali added that there was “ some rumcake and raisin flavors with a bit of muskiness and while this was sweet and smooth it was a little drying on the finish and kind of boring.” This had everything in place to be a fine wine but is a little tight at this moment. 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero 14.5% $18 Groups 3rd place wine/ my 1st place wine Marty called this “ our raging bull” and found “ lots of deep black fruit on the nose with lots of potential. The high tannins are hiding a lot of the fruit on the palate.” Steve found this to be “ very unpleasant and almost antiseptic on the nose with a very short finish. Not my favorite.” Beth commented on the “ earthy, meaty, tarry nose with notes of burnt toast’ and felt that ‘while the tannins are super grippy the finish is kind of juicy.” Ali thought this tasted like “ white chocolate covered raspberries and Cap’n Crunch Whoops Just Berries cereal” and found it to be “ a pretty short and fruity no brainer.” This needs to loose some of the juicy fruit tannin but is a lovely, pure bottle of wine. Rock on. Flight 4 2000 Miguel Merino Rioja Reserva 13,5% $40 Groups 1st place wine/ my 2nd place wine Stephanie though this had “ something Italian about it, it reminds me of Brunello with it’s cinnamon, vanilla and black fruit profile.” Steve noted the wine’s “ strong cherry fruit with a little bit of chocolate” and found this to be “very smooth with a nice long finish.” Beth found the nose to be “funky and earthy with a yummy dusty berry note” but felt the palate was “ missing a little something in the middle.” This was some pretty standard high-end Rioja that offered a very complex set or aromatics and a smooth mouthfeel. 2004 Heras Cordon Rioja Vendemia Seleccionada 13% $27 Groups 2nd place wine/ my 4th place wine Ali noted that this offered up a nose full of “ graphite, fudge, basil and dill” and while it was “ a little hot on the palate it did show some nice chocolate and leather flavors.” Marty noted the wine’s “ menthol and cherry aromas” and found the wine ended with “ a nice long finish.” Beth found “ a lovely minty, red berry nose with black licorice” but found “ a bitter pepperiness on the juicy lean palate, though I did warm up to it.” Lean and precise this was lovely, spicy, classic Rioja. It continued to evolve for the tasting and was fresh and delicious the next day as well. 2005 C3 Crazy Eights California 14.9% $38 Groups 8th place wine/ my 5th place wine Marty started us off by saying “ this is a lot of kirsch cherry liquor with tannins to lose and a long sherry finish.” Stephanie didn’t agree finding the nose “ to be full of cooked pears in the tin with a cherry bandy aspect.” Ali found an initial note of “ apple cinnamon” that quickly gave way to “ a lot of blueberry on the palate with a plush feel but then the tannins were drying.” This was about the biggest wild cherry bomb one can find without veering off into vulgar, sweet intensely hot wine. While it’s not my style it was one hell of a wine. And with that we were done. For the most part we all agreed that as a group these wines showed very well and while a few wines might have a somewhat limited audience the fact is that Tempranillo makes splendid wine s the world over. A lot of these wines get short shrift from consumers and retailers alike and frankly it’s time for that to change! 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 Tempranillo PTP II by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• March 2009

  Just the notes this time. See the blog post for more details. 2006 Milcampos Ribera del Duero 13.5% $15 http://www.snooth.com/wine/milcampos-tempranillo-ribera-del-duero-2006/ At first fresh and fruity on the nose with a touch of smoky black spice then growing floral tones take... Read moreJust the notes this time. See the blog post for more details. 2006 Milcampos Ribera del Duero 13.5% $15 http://www.snooth.com/wine/milcampos-tempranillo-ribera-del-duero-2006/ At first fresh and fruity on the nose with a touch of smoky black spice then growing floral tones take the lead and are lifted by a touch of volatility. Soft on the attack, with a rich, extracted matte feel that is dominated by biter tannins. The acidity is good here and the fruit does hold some interest with it’s unsweetened black raspberry reduction tones that gain a touch of floral and cocoa on the short finish but this is ultimately chunky and rustic. 83pts 2007 Ardales Tierra de Castilla 14% $12 http://www.snooth.com/wine/ardales-noble-tempranillo-2007/ Slightly candied on the nose with notes of sweet fruit and candied melon rind lifted by a touch of heat that accentuating the oaky notes. Soft in the mouth yet with adequate acidity that supports sour fruit flavors accented by subtle tones of minty herbs, earth, and green olive. This seems a touch dull, could use a bit more oomph and depth, but it does finish strongly with sweetening fruit and good earthy length 85pts 2006 Monte Negro Ribera del Duero 13.5% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/monte-negro-tinto-joven-u-spain-2006/ Fruity and a bit woody on the nose, with milky tones of American oak that are fleeting as the nose closes up to reveal some crushed rock, floral and licorice tones. , This has a very balanced mouthfeel that is refreshing with solid acidity and nice, soft tannins in a mouthwatering style. The fruit is pure and with good depth if a bit hidden at the moment though notes of black cherry/ plum candy poke out at times. Not complex but appealing for it’s directness with lovely fruit tannins on the short finish. This needs a year or two to relax and reveal itself. 88pts Flight 2 2006 C3 Tempranillo Santa Barbera County 14.9% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/core-tempranillo-c3-2006/ Spicy and sweet smelling with notes of ginger, apricot and sassafras dominating at first then gaining complexity with hints of raw beef and vanilla accenting the cranberry fruit. This gains a rather distinctive note of mace and allspice berries with further airing. A bit flat on the attack but this is followed up by zesty, red apple acids, and lots of herbal and spicy background notes that are well knit into the plush texture The tannins are soft and add to the juicy appeal of the fruit which offers some tangerine and anonymous, dark red tones. Finishes cleanly with a touch of heat but not much complexity. 88pts 2005 Coral Mustang Tempranillo Vista Creek Vineyards Paso Robles 14.5% $15 http://www.snooth.com/wine/coral-mustang-vista-creek-tempranillo-2005/ This smells a touch sweet at first then very fruity and very Tempranillo-like with a nice sandy, dusty soil tone and a broad array of herbal, tobacco and floral background aromatics. There is a touch of VA here and it is a bit dirty, but in a good way making this penetrating and complex. A little sweet on entry but nice acidity and well judged tannins quickly bring this into focus with bright fruit that features red raspberry fruit enlivened by dry, dusty earth tones, and spicy orange ring/herbal notes and even a touch of green chili lurking This is very fresh and fruity yet a slight astringency offers cut but is not enough to become bitter. The nice cleansing finish shows a touch of vanilla and floral perfumes that recall dried roses. A very solid offering. 91pts 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero Vendimia Seleccionada 14.5% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/casajus-vendimia-seleccionada-2004/ This starts off deep and a touch stinky with saddle leather, black earth, forest floor and noticeable licorice and blackberry fruit then closes up in the glass revealing a minty top note and a deep underlay of clay. There is big black raspberry fruit right up front followed by a well-integrated, balanced mouthfeel that features pure dark, hard candy fruit well framed by moderate tannins and good acidity. The tannins build across the palate with some tar, leather and licorice leading into the ever so slightly herb and vanilla tinged, finish that is stopped short by the building tannins. Impressive stuff 90pts. flight 3 2004 Casajus Ribera del Duero 14.5% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/casajus-ribera-del-duero-2004/ Dark and damp smelling with earthy coffee bean notes, minerally., meaty tones and lots of scrub brush and slightly gamey tones. This smells a little angry and black shale minerally. Weighty on entry with a tight palate packed with dark unsweetened/roasted strawberry that is backed up with considerable dry extract and a big tannic punch. This is dense and chewy and a touch rustic yet with great depth, sinewy and muscular. The acidity is bright yet in balance and the tannins are juicy fruit tannins with almost no astringency allowing the licorice and cocoa to reverberate on the long finish. A remarkable value! 92pts 2004 Ochoa Navarra Crianza 13% $12 http://www.snooth.com/wine/bodegas-ochoa-tempranillo-navarra-crianza-navarra-2004/ Offering a really nice nose with earth, forest floor, leather, and beef notes edged with very well integrated milky wood tones. Smooth and silky on entry with lots of bright acids and soft tannins supporting rich, juicy fruit with intense dark raspberry/blueberry fruit and a lovely bitter edge keeping it tense in the mouth. This gains a bit of a citrussy/burnt orange rind top note, which leads to a cleansing finish with sweet/sour blueberry note that recalls a fruit smoothie. Finishes a bit short. 87pts 2004 Truchard Tempranillo Carneros Napa Valley 14.1% $25 http://www.snooth.com/wine/truchard-vineyards-tempranillo-rouge-2004/ Earthy and tight on the nose with a bit of French oak adding sweetness to the mineral and dried cherry/strawberry tones that have a slight leathery edge. The sweet fruit on entry is met with a great acidic cut that leaves this opulent and almost voluptuous with rich tannins embedded in plush fruit. It’s a bit tight but with a top note of milk chocolate and lovely herbal nuances to the rather precise tobacco tinged, dark berry fruit. A touch of dry wood tannin reveals itself across the palate but there is plenty of fruit to balance it and the finish continues the theme though it is a touch hot. 90pts flight 4 2000 Miguel Merino Rioja Reserva 13,5% $40 http://www.snooth.com/wine/bodegas-miguel-merino-rioja-reserva-2000/ Full and deep on the nose with roast peach, wood spice, leather, game, white truffle and white chocolate tones then with air this gains notes of saw dust, old books, cocoa powder, sweet red licorice, cherry pie, vanilla, beefy, lovely complex and balanced nose. The entry is rich and soft with bright acid driven fruit flavors, layered and juicy with a balsamic edge and dried bark, tea and rosehip notes to the bright cranberry/cherry fruit. Classic interplay of red fruit and vanilla in the mouth, lovely mid weight wine with a really elegant feel and a haunting sweetness to the fruit, finishes with sour cherry, vanilla and café-au-lait tones in balance and with good, bright length. A wonderful wine that is drinking perfectly today. 92pts 2004 Heras Cordon Rioja Vendimia Seleccionada 13% $27 http://www.snooth.com/wine/bodegas-y-vinedos-heras-cordon-rioja-vendimia-seleccionada-2004/ This nose is completely enthralling with full funky monkey notes of preserved meats and pork fat with a core spicy, black berry liquor and a hints of minty barnyard, white pepper, mineral and dried bay leaf. Very polished and bright on entry with an initial sweetness that is followed by bright acids and very soft tannins This is noticeably gamy in the mouth with cranberry/juniper/lingonberry fruits that are accented by the minor but mouthgrabbing tannins The long, succulent finish shows a bit of vanilla and RC cola like spice on the finale accenting the slightly astringent red fruits. 91pts 2005 C3 Crazy Eights California 14.9% $38 http://www.snooth.com/wine/c3-crazy-eights-2005/ Lightly jammy cherries on the nose but nor overtly sweet with fine mineral notes, licorice, asphalt, vanilla and an earthy potato/root vegetable tone. This opens with lots of exotic tea notes that seem a little sweet then intense acidity balances out the deep, dark ripe cherry fruit. While mouthfilling this retains a fairly light texture with intense, bright cherry and watermelon flavors. This is really well balanced and while it’s sort of a fruit bomb it lacks the overt sweetness that would make it vulgar. It’s a whole hell of a lot of wine with a vibrant wild cherry finish that finishes with impressive length while remaining juicy with herb and spice tones, a little plummy leafiness. Pretty impressive if a touch hot. 91pts    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Tempranillo PTP 13 by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• March 2009

  I was joined recently by some fellow winelovers to share a mixed case of Tempranillo. There were only a few clunkers in the case, and a corked wine from Truchard that has since been replaced and is really a wonderfully complete and compelling bottle but we have to skip that for this... Read moreI was joined recently by some fellow winelovers to share a mixed case of Tempranillo. There were only a few clunkers in the case, and a corked wine from Truchard that has since been replaced and is really a wonderfully complete and compelling bottle but we have to skip that for this tasting panel. In all we were left with 10 bottles for this session that garnered unusually consistent results from out panel. Gregory - that’s me Evan - Wine Enthusiast Greg - Wine Professional Robbin -Vineyardadventures.com Karen - http://imbibenewyork.wordpress.com/ Michael - Wine Enthusiast Justin - Wine Professional And onto the wines Flight 1 2006 Auroch Toro 13.5% $15 Evan started us off with his comments on the “plum and strawberry fruit” that this exhibited and it’s “light, fresh” feel. Karen also felt this was “easy drinking” and got more of a ‘red berry, slightly sour warm cherry” note to the fruit. Justin felth this was “enjoyable but not complex” with “floral cherry fruit in a very soft, fairly ripe style.” And that pretty much captures this fruity, simple, yet enjoyable wine. 2006 Garsa Calaveras Co. 14.7% $17.50 Michael led off with his comment on the “ huge dark chocolate and sweet vanilla nose” of this wine and while Greg felt this was “really woody on the nose” he did note that the “red berry fruit was really sweet on the palate yet had super tart acidity.” Justin found some “beef bouillon, sausage, and spice” on the nose and found the wine to be “fairly full bodied with good concentration.” I really enjoyed this gutsy wine that married a fairly heavy dose of oak to very ripe expressive fruit creating a unique expression of Tempranillo. This is worth seeking out. 2007 Rioja Vega 12.5% $8 It was almost unfair putting this light bargain wine in this line-up though it didn’t get as lost as I had feared. Michael found “earth and manure” on the nose though added that “the palate was completely opposite with lots of light, sour cherry fruit.” Evan also commented on the “ pronounced barnyard quality on the nose” but felt that the “barnyard stinky quality masked the fruit” in the mouth. Karen felt that while this was” slightly vegetal and had a spicy herbaciousness” on the nose It did have “ sour cherry fruit with a slightly medicinal, tinny essence.” This was very simple, acid driven wine with modest, uncomplicated candied raspberry fruit. Flight 2 2006 Castoro Cellars Reserve California 13.2% $20 This wine elicited some strong opinions! Greg started us by saying this was “entirely hateful on the nose smelling off and of really bad winemaking.” His opinion of the palate was no better as he added, “ this is very sweet and very tart and totally flawed in all respects!” Robbin was more generous finding “ black fruit with sweet spices” and “ medium mineral notes and slate flowing into some black plums” and characterized the wine as “drinkable. “ Michael found the nose “ medicinal and cough syrupy” but enjoyed the “casual, easy” palate and it’s “ milk chocolate, candied raspberry surprise!” This was a fruit bomb, sweet and candied in an anonymous kind of way. 2004 Conde de Valdemar Crianza Rioja 13.5% $14 Justin began noting that this had “ a stinky cheese and old wood, varnish of old furniture” nose but was “ very smooth and long from the obvious barrel ageing.” Karen caught some “ cherry cola essence and vegetal notes” on the nose but found the “tart cherries and a bit of oak” on the palate. Even thought the nose had “ a vegetal funk on top of oak” on the nose as well as “ lots of earth and spice in the mouth then lots of wood.” If you’re looking for a particularly oaky Rioja this might be the right time to pop one of these but hopefully some time in the cellar will let the extremely obvious oak integrate. 2006 St. Amant “The Road Less Travelled” Amador Co. 15.4% $18 Michael noted that this was “full of brown sugar and tar and is earthy and ripe. Clearly a very nice wine.” Robbin found similar note of “ black ripe plums and cherries, tar and chocolate” but felt that this wine was “overoaked.” Justin commented on the “ floral and forward nose with cranberry and good minerality” and enjoyed the “ crushed fruits and stone in this big powerful wine. It has Verve.” I was taken aback by the sheer size of this wine but came to terms with it when I realized it’s best approached as a dry port, a very intense dry port. Flight 3 2004 Marques de Murrieta Reserva Rioja 14% $25 Robbin found this to have a “black fruit cherry thing and lifted raspberry” on the nose with “ ripe fruit and fairly balanced oak” on the palate. Evan felt the fruit was “ tarry and raisiny over oak” on the nose and found “lots of wood with some earth and spice and a hint of burnt cherry” on the palate. Greg thought this was “ essentially flavorless, tart and with a really citric sensation on the finish.” In the end it was a fairly classic bottle of Rioja. 2006 Justin Reserve Paso Robles 14.5% $45 Karen caught a “bit of cassis on the nose and a bit of vegetal canned pea” and noted that the palate was “slightly meaty and hot with a spicy finish which I liked.” Michael noted the wine’s “ earthy, tarry, dark fruits” and found “lots of plums, tar, and chocolate” on the palate. Justin found aromas of “cheap perfume”, flavors of “ marzipan and syrupy cola, and was “ not a fan.” This was an inordinately large scaled, heavily oaked, extracted wine that somehow retained impressive complexity and balance. Not a wine I would by but the appeal is undeniable. 2007 Dehesa Gago Toro 14.5% $17 Evan found the nose of this wine “weird with a pear and vanilla thing that did not follow on to the palate. It was really woody and tight with too much oak obscuring the fruit.” Robbin felt this was “too fat” and was also ‘ a little short and hot.” Justin noted that the nose was ‘fairly reserved at first then revealed over-ripe plums. Black licorice and asphalt.” Greg felt this was “ really a ripe wine but it has really nice tannins, especially on the finish.” I loved this wine from its black fruit and spice notes to those cleansing tannins it was an all around pleasure. Flight 4 2004 Castillo LaBastida Crianza Rioja14% $12 This wine enjoyed a flight of it’s own due to corked wines so you could say it was the wine of the flight even if Michael felt that while there was “ a little bit of cherry jam on the nose but this dissipated into nothing.” Robbin found ‘sour cherry and a very faint anisette thing on the nose” with “ bright red fruit” that was “ a little puckery and sour cherry like” on the palate. Adding “ I like it!” Greg thought the nose was “ a little bit soft with not a whole lot going on” but found “ sour cherry and plum on the palate” making this “ really drinkable.” I thought this was a great value in a fairly traditional Rioja style and while it was a bit light it showcased the sweet raspberry fruit of Tempranillo. And that was that. The top three wines of the tasting were: 2007 Dehesa Gago 2006 Garsa Calaveras Co 2006 St. Amant “The Road Less Travelled” Amador Co. Perhaps this line-up a bit unfair to the Spaniards. Next time I’ll try and get a few of the bigger, modern type wines to pit against these Californians but I’m not sure what that might prove. Either that California can beat Spain at it’s own game or that Spain can out California California! 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 Snooth PTP -Tempranillo by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• February 2009

  Here's a brief rundown on the wines we enjoyed at Tuesday's PTP. I've just posted my full notes and the blog post is on the way but down and dirty here are my impressions. 1 - 2005 Cosentino Il Chiaretto California 14.8% $18... Read moreHere's a brief rundown on the wines we enjoyed at Tuesday's PTP. I've just posted my full notes and the blog post is on the way but down and dirty here are my impressions. 1 - 2005 Cosentino Il Chiaretto California 14.8% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/cosentino-winery-cosentino-il-chiaretto-sangiovese-california-2005/ Not bad at all, a bit clumsy and rich but a good match for a grilled steak 2 - 2006 Ruffino Santedame Chianti Classico 13.5% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/tenimenti-ruffino-santedame-chianti-classico-2006/ Bracing and clean, this speaks of Chianti but not too loudly 3 - 2007 Flora Springs Napa Valley 14.2% $15 http://www.snooth.com/wine/flora-springs-sangiovese-2007/ This screams Sangiovese and is having a party in my mouth! Delicious! Flight 2 4 - 2004 Podere il Palazzino La Pieve Chianti Classico 14% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/podere-il-palazzino-chianti-classico-la-pieve-2004-2/ Another bottle that talks of Chianti, this time alittle louder, well done if a touch modern. 5 - 2005 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Tan label 14% $22 http://www.snooth.com/wine/ruffino-chianti-classico-riserva-ducale-tan-2005-4/ Another wine that speaks of Chianti but like the song say, a little bit softer now. This could be better. 6 - 2006 Pope Valley Winery Napa Valley 14% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/pope-valley-sangiovese-napa-valley-2006/ I don't know what this is saying but it's a wine that somehow appeals to me in a weird way. Plenty of wood paired with ripe, sweet fruit but balanced and well made, a pretty fine bottle. Flight 3 7 - 2004 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 14% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/monsanto-chianti-classico-riserva-2004/ This ROCKS! All sorts of things in here, fruit, minerals, things you find in basements, attics and barns. Elegant and screamingly old school Chianti . I love it AND it's a crazy value! 8 - 2004 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva 13.5% $30 http://www.snooth.com/wine/felsina-chianti-classico-riserva-2004-10/ This has all the elements to be very good but there is a bactirial/ msuty edge here that I have consitently found in 3 bottles. There might be clean bottles out there but I'm not risking it. 9 - 2004 Castellare Chianti Classico Riserva 13.5% $35 http://www.snooth.com/wine/castellare-di-castellina-chianti-classico-riserva-2004-7/ Super Chianti, richer and a touch more modern than the Monsanto but almost as satisfying. This has more stuffing and may turn out to be as impressive in time. Flight 4 10 - 2005 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley 14.8% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/kuleto-estate-sangiovese-2005/ This was cheating a bit since there is Cab in this. Still showed some Sangiovese typicity but this was a more muscular style of wine. Solid if a bit too youthful. 11 - 2004 Deerfield Sonoma 14,6% $25 http://www.snooth.com/wine/deerfield-ranch-sangiovese-2004/ The second time around this still reminds me of late harvest Zin. Perfectly fine but anonymous. 12 - 2006 The Midlife Crisis Winery Paso Robles 16.6% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/midlife-crisis-sangiovese-2006/ A huge Sangiovese fruit bomb with huge alcohol. Certainly not for everyone but I can see how this may appeal to some folks. It's not for me though.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Snooth GTI - Sangiovese -... by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• February 2009

  A follow up to the first tasting though with more of an Italian slant this time. I have to say that several of the Californian examples continue to really impress me. Some great wine is being made out there but they will never replace the classic Chianti Classico Riservas that... Read moreA follow up to the first tasting though with more of an Italian slant this time. I have to say that several of the Californian examples continue to really impress me. Some great wine is being made out there but they will never replace the classic Chianti Classico Riservas that Tuscany can offer. Still it's worth taking a look westward! Flight 1 - Starting off easy 1 -2005 Cosentino Il Chiaretto California 87pts 2 - 2006 Ruffino Santedame Chianti Classico 87pts 3 - 2007 Flora Springs Napa Valley 89pts Flight 2 - Let's step it up a bit 4 - 2004 Podere il Palazzino La Pieve Chianti Classico 89pts 5 - 2005 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Tan label 87pts 6 - 2006 Pope Valley Winery Napa Valley 90pts Flight 3 - Now were talking 7 - 2004 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 94pts 8 - 2004 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva 83pts 9 - 2004 Castellare Chianti Classico Riserva 92pts Flight 4 - Is more always better? 10 - 2005 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley 88pts 11 - 2004 Deerfield Sonoma 85pts 12 - 2006 The Midlife Crisis Winery Paso Robles 86pts Flight 1 1 - 2005 Cosentino Il Chiaretto California 14.8% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/cosentino-winery-cosentino-il-chiaretto-sangiovese-california-2005/ A bit dusty and with a fair amount of earthy cocoa/choco notes over bright strawberry, black raspberry fruits lurking with nice notes of smoke and leather adding interest. Big and a touch sweet on entry with plenty of acidity from front to back and a touch of slightly austere tannins but ultimately chunky and a bit disjointed. Some attractive green herbal notes add depth to the wild strawberry fruits but there is a heavier load of wood here than the fruit wants to carry. Offers a moderately long finish dominated by grilled meat and licorice tones 87pts 2 - 2006 Ruffino Santedame Chianti Classico 13.5% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/tenimenti-ruffino-santedame-chianti-classico-2006/ A bit woody on the nose yet fresh and precise with faint notes of tobacco, some sweet wood tones, cherry notes, with a dusty/steely closed wine overlay. Silky on entry and polished with a good core of dark wild berry fruit that has a lively edge of astringency. There are notes of mineral rich salad greens and a hint or beef blood adding complexity and while this is a touch fleshy it remains very mineral driven and finishes with a rare meaty core of sour cherry fruit. Lean and taut with good balance and a nice stony finish this is a bit simple but quite typical. 87pts 3 - 2007 Flora Springs Napa Valley 14.2% $15 http://www.snooth.com/wine/flora-springs-sangiovese-2007/ A touch estery at first then turning floral and crisp smelling with mineral, herb and woodsy treebark tones. This really picks up a slightly brambly strawberry note on the nose that incorporates the fruit, leaves, and soil tones of picking wild strawberries. Silky and slinky in the mouth with good acids and plenty of tannins supporting pure, if easy, sweet strawberry/cherry fruits making this uncomplicated yet delightful. The moderately long finish is clean and offers a touch of herb as contrast to the strawberry fruit. Simple yet playful, this is fun to drink! 89pts Flight 2 4 - 2004 Podere il Palazzino La Pieve Chianti Classico 14% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/podere-il-palazzino-chianti-classico-la-pieve-2004-2/ Espresso foam and a touch of baking spice offer hints of the oak here but the candied cherry cough syrup notes and a hint of lemon oil offer good balance. There is an underlying touch of earth funk that adds complexity and depth. Lovely balance in light-medium body package that had juicy acidity and soft tannins that barely intrude and let the lightly candied red cherry fruit shine. Feels very clean with a nice pure slightly unripe raspberry, iron mineral finish of moderate length. Nice precise feel, a lovely wine that is just a touch simple. 89pts 5 - 2005 Ruffino Riserva Ducale Tan label 14% $22 http://www.snooth.com/wine/ruffino-chianti-classico-riserva-ducale-tan-2005-4/ Soft on the nose with gentle notes of leather and earth, a touch of woodsy spice, a touch of violet a little smoke and some dark cherry tones. Big fruit up front backed by solid, integrated acidity with very polished tannins give this a round, pleasant mouthfeel, yet without not much complexity or depth, A bit diffuse on the mid-palate with nice flavors of raspberry/black raspberry, a touch of earth, mint and leather, but this has the feel of not trying hard enough but it’s still hard to fault it too much. 87pts 6 - 2006 Pope Valley Winery Napa Valley 14% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/pope-valley-sangiovese-napa-valley-2006/ A bit of sulfur needs to resolve here but under that there are ample wood tones of butter, cinnamon sugar, burnt marshmallow, vanilla, mace and all-spice yet the rather intense fruit notes seem to balance these pretty well. There are hints of cured pork fat, tea, figs, floral, apricot, and tobacco that emerge with time. A whip of acid cuts through the round, fleshy feel in the mouth and the tannins build quite quickly but the black raspberry, mulberry and boysenberry flavors are deep and solid. This turns more black cherries on backend and finishes with fresh pomegranate, spice, and berry fruits that yield the stage back to the sweet wood tones on the finale. This is fun and fresh with good complexity coupled with a really attractive mouthfeel. It is certainly not Chianti and may lack some Sangiovese typicity but it’s pretty darn good in a big, spiced, modern idiom. 90pts Flight 3 7 - 2004 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva 14% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/monsanto-chianti-classico-riserva-2004/ Intensely aromatic with a floral and salame tones then burnished sour cherry/strawberry fruit, very floral, smells decidedly funky, leathery, and slightly sour with a touch of cigar ash smokiness. With air earth, oystershell, mint, spice, dried orange peel, old wet leather, soil, and even a hint of truffle emerge on this effusive and complex nose. A brilliant nose. Bright acids and a touch of fat up front yield to a nice layer of astringent tannins that coat the mouth with silky, smoky, dried strawberry fruit. This offers an array of flavors running from soil notes, black tea, maduro tobacco, frutti di bosco preserve and old wood notes to beet root, ripe berry, and dried citron peel. Finishes with good length and an almost curranty red/bitter cherry fruits with great mineral and herb cut and a classic steely character. This is Classic Chianti and a huge value but it is a pure, delicate, traditional style of wine that will never bowl one over with power or extract. It just seduces you with complexity, depth and purity. 94pts 8 - 2004 Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva 13.5% $30 http://www.snooth.com/wine/felsina-chianti-classico-riserva-2004-10/ Initially this offers typical damp earth, forest floor and floral, notes framing the slightly peachy raspberry coulis fruit with a hint of vanilla but with air this turns cola and rootbeer like with an emerging fungal note and gamy edge. Rich and round in the mouth with very finely polished tannins and tons of acid with a classic medium body with earthy, tobacco and almond tinged strawberry fruit. Kind of gentle but still classically styled but the moldy edge detracts from the wines. Tasted 3 times with consistent results. 83pts 9 - 2004 Castellare Chianti Classico Riserva 13.5% $35 http://www.snooth.com/wine/castellare-di-castellina-chianti-classico-riserva-2004-7/ A touch of funky brett greets the nose and is followed by earthy, tobacco, notes with lots of dried herb, leather and dried flowers. Certainly not a fruit driven nose as it develops further notes of limestone, rusts funghi, smoke, touch of oak, and a very mineral backdrop. Sour berry right up front with wonderfully ripe tannins and good acids offering lots of richness in the mouth with a seductive mouthfeel. The fruit is rich and forceful, almost concealing the austerity with layers of leather, earth, dried herb, with emerging bitter cherry/wild strawberry fruits and a touch of green anise and peach seed on the backend. There is that edge of brett entwined with the flavors but at this point it is well integrated. Very cleansing finish, a touch short with a sneaky return featuring hints of roasted nuts, salt, lingonberry and funghi. A very solid wine. 92pts Flight 4 10 - 2005 Kuleto Estate Napa Valley 14.8% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/kuleto-estate-sangiovese-2005/ A bit smoky and gamy with deep, dark, fruit backed up with notes of wood and herb. This turns more savory with an emerging olive brine note and gains a mineral/cigar ash edge. With a big, sweet and smooth entry, this begins deceptively then turns dark and muscular on the mid-palate with lovely rich fruit accented with an earthy, bitter cocoa streak of oaken spice. The finish is also dark and brooding with jammy fruits, a hint of vanilla, and linger spice tones. The wood tannins are significant at this stage yet this is so well balanced that it will reward cellaring. Youthful 88pts 11 - 2004 Deerfield Sonoma 14,6% $25 http://www.snooth.com/wine/deerfield-ranch-sangiovese-2004/ Heavy VA greets the nose followed by a jammy fruit quality and lots of fudgy, sweet, spiced toasted pecan, pecan pie notes. There is a touch of briar here and a bit of camphor that gives this a bit of a medicinal tone. Big on entry with big notes of dried strawberry and cherry fruits. Decidedly on the soft side with a silky mouthfeel, plenty of ripe tannins and adequate acidity. This is a bit hot; some nice gently austere tannins that really gain traction, short finish. Not bad wine just lacks distinction 85pts 12 - 2006 The Midlife Crisis Winery Paso Robles 16.6% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/midlife-crisis-sangiovese-2006/ Offers an array of nutty, red-woody, hot spicy tones and a big dried figgy fruit note. There are interesting notes of tea, cola and dried beef adding complexity. Big sweet entry, then a bit chewy with lots of subtly jammy undertones, mulberry jam, some mulling spice, a touch of pie crust but with a gentle herbal note as well. A little licorice on the backend leads to the long fruit driven finish that is slightly medicinal/minty. A huge Sangiovese fruit bomb. 86pts    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Sangiovese PTP 2 by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• January 2009

  Well this was an unusual evening, a Sangiovese tasting with most of the wines from California! As unusual as it may have been the results speak for themselves. Plenty of impressive wines and three standouts. I'll go into more detail in the corresponding blog post and well follow this... Read moreWell this was an unusual evening, a Sangiovese tasting with most of the wines from California! As unusual as it may have been the results speak for themselves. Plenty of impressive wines and three standouts. I'll go into more detail in the corresponding blog post and well follow this set of wines up with more Sangiovese next week but suffice it to say, me likee the Sangiovese. Flight 1 - Chianti 2006 Borgianni Chianti 84pts 2005 Volpaia Chianti Classico 88pts 2003 Castel’in Villa Chianti Classico 87pts Flight 2 - Other styles of 2006 Sangiovese 2006 Nespoli Sangiovese di Romagna 88pts 2006 Perrucci Santa Cruz Mtn Sangiovese “Family Selection” 89pts 2006 Moris Farms Morellino di Scansano 86pts Flight 3 - California’s Sangiovese terroir 2005 Pietra Santa Cienega Valley 90pts 2005 Martin & Weyrich Il Palio - Paso Robles 91pts 2004 Deerfield Ranch Sonoma County 78pts Flight 4 - Modern Sangiovese 2005 Stolpman Santa Ynez - 89pts 2004 Salustri Marleo Montecucco Rosso 73pts 2006 Miner Gibson Ranch Mendocino 92pts Flight 1 Chianti 1- 2006 Borgianni Chianti 12.5% - $12 http://www.snooth.com/wine/castello-di-volpaia-chianti-borgianni-2006/ A bit estery but quite intense and fruity with wild strawberry tones on the nose with hints of leather and forest floor. With air and adds a nice mineral/rain water note and a hint of flowers. Very light fresh and pure with marginal tannins and juicy acids that are a bit hard on their own. Finishes with a touch of herb and sand. Correct and simple if a touch lean. 84pts 2- 2005 Volpaia Chianti Classico 13% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/castello-di-volpaia-chianti-classico-2006/ A touch meaty and first then turning very floral with a touch of wood spice, quite spicy fruit, black cherry, sweet almost red-hot cinnamon (-), very floral. Medium light on entry with nice acids and soft tannins. There is good depth of flavor with twisty herbal and mineral veins that offset the sour cherry/ red currant fruits. A classic austere character that is fairly richly flavored and finishes with nutty, slightly bitter amarena cherry tones. 88pts 3- 2003 Castel’in Villa Chianti Classico 13.5% $20 http://www.snooth.com/wine/castelin-villa-chianti-classico-2003/ Tight on the nose with a touch of caramel and roasted red fruits, menthol and limestone, smoke. A touch of VA adds lift and the aromatics drift off towards dried herb and woodland scents. Elegant and balanced in the mouth with integrated acidity and finely polished tannins, a bit drying on the midpalate, actually quite so with a mineral, smoky forest floor character. Bracing, cleansing finish with some violet and menthol notes even a long touch of bitter almond but not much more. An interesting wine but it lacks freshness of fruit on both the nose and the palate. 87pts Flight 2 - Other styles of 2006 Sangiovese 4- 2006 Nespoli Sangiovese di Romagna 13% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/sangiovese-di-romagna-poderi-dal-nespoli-2006/ Very nice, earthy, floral, forest floor, complex and typical sangio scents, some soft warm wild cherries and a bit of dried orange peel round out the nose which turns sweeter and grapier with airing. . Lovely mouthfeel, precise, balanced, full of soft tannins and juicy acids supporting just ripe red fruits in an elegant and lean expression of Sangiovese. Cleansing cherry pit finish is moderately long with a distinctly earthy, leathery, herbaceous edge then turning more spiced on the finale. Classic with a touch of tarry anise. A touch simple but so varietal! 88pts 5- 2006 Perrucci Santa Cruz Mtn Sangiovese “Family Selection” 13.5% $28 http://www.snooth.com/wine/perrucci-family-sangiovese-2006/ Gentle aromas of wet sand, roasted herbs, sweet vanilla(-) ham(-) and strawberry jam filter up from the glass. There is also a minor note of brett adding a bit of sweat here. Cool and crisp up front with good acids and slightly aggressive yet not drying tannins support moderate notes of rosehips, sweet wild cherry, and floral flavors with a spearminty top note. Quite fruity on the finish with the well measured tannins and mouthwatering acid finale. This continued to improve through out the course of the evening. Good intensity 88pts 6- 2006 Moris Farms Morellino di Scansano 14% $15 http://www.snooth.com/wine/moris-farms-morellino-di-scansano-1/ Intense moss, oily herb and stone notes at first with a lovely blackberry fruit compote and spice tone that is a touch saline. A touch simple but nicely aromatic. Astringent and feeling a touch extracted in the mouth with good, intense bitter cherry fruit but the tannins are a bit out of balance, they are polished but prominent and give the wine a rather steely feel. Needs some food or 12-18 months to integrate. Deep cocoa and earth nuances help frame the fruit. Drying finish but also nicely spiced. Well made in a minor way. 86pts Flight 3 - California’s Sangiovese terroir 7- 2005 Pietra Santa Cienega Valley 15.1% $18 http://www.snooth.com/wine/pietra-santa-sangiovese-2005-1/ Rather intensely herbal and sweet at the same time with a powdery,dusty granite/vitamin tone over a warm cherry coulis base. Turns a bit smoky and oily with air but that big herbal element remains the core here. Big sweet fruit on entry parried by great mineral notes and great mouth grabbing tannins that offer a lovely austerity. There is a fine green herbal streak running through this that keeps this from becoming too much. A touch of coffee cream and bitter chocolate gains traction on the back half along with a touch of citron, the red cherry fruit is a touch hidden at the moment. Nice clean and fresh finish with a touch of mouth puckering tannins. Mouthwatering with good structural length. 90pts 8- 2005 Martin & Weyrich Il Palio - Paso Robles 14.3% $16 http://www.snooth.com/wine/martin-and-weyrich-winery-il-palio-sangiovese-2005/ Clean and clear fruit on the nose,, smoky and slightly cedary with great green herb and mineral tones and a touch of graham cracker. Adds a touch of rare meat and sage with air and develops lovely bitter cherry and dried strawberry tones. Smells complex and balanced. Rich fruit, lots of raspberry and mulberry fruit, hanging from a high wire of acid that is accented by a gentle blush of cocoa powder and a hint of almond milk. Rich yet so well balanced by bracingly correct acids and supported by fine, austere tannins, just love this mouthfeel. A touch candied perhaps but the sweetness is perfectly cut by the acid and slightly astringent tannins. Delicious with a fine finish that adds a bit of spice in good length with a red currant final. A great Value Buy this wine. 91pts 9- 2004 Deerfield Ranch Sonoma County 14.6% $25 http://www.snooth.com/wine/deerfield-ranch-sangiovese-2004/ Deep and dark with fresh turned earth and damp cigar tones, a bit of spicy wood, smoky and dark, a touch of coffee. VA and a bit chemically smelling with a late harvest Zin nose that recalls cherry cough syrup. Big in the mouth with a bit of a roasted character, good acid, modest but stiff tannins, wood tannins feel like. Dark indistinct fruit flavors, touch rasinny with lots of chocolate and coffee character, and a bit hot. Finishes a touch short. Stocky and sturdy but without varietal character. 78pts Flight 4 - Modern Sangiovese 10- 2005 Stolpman Santa Ynez - 14.9% $30 http://www.snooth.com/wine/stolpman-sangiovese-estate-grown-2005/ Very ripe herbal tones, integrated oak, cocao, vanilla, lots of good wood notes makes this quite spicy if a touch hot. Fresh fruit is in there, slightly macerated and sweet smelling with a hint of amaretto lurking. Big acid right up front then a fairly plush and well integrated mid-palate with herbal and citrus notes adding complexity to the rather rich red cherry fruits with a slightly exotic wild edge to them. Noticeable but not offensive wood offers a clean brisk finish with woody tannins lingering. I think this would be better with less wood but it is very nice. In a particularly rich, smooth style. 89pts 11- 2004 Marleo Salustri Montecucco Rosso 13.5% $24 http://www.snooth.com/wine/salustri-montecucco-marleo-2004/ Smokey woody, coffee candy notes, not much in the way of fruit here, woody and slightly chemical. This really jumps the cliff with air turning decidedly beef brothy and devoid of fruit exhibiting a dusty old green coffee bean nose. Candied and dark in the mouth with a slinky feel that is elegant if a touch compact. Dark berry fruits, spice, earth and a surprisingly strong green walnut, green herb vein are obvious on the mid-palate until everything just disappears, reverting to darker, coffee, sassafras and licorice laden character. Finishes long with a bracing mineral note and then dark, indistinct fruit leather notes. Drying too. Better than the nose would indicate but still not worth the effort. 73pts 12- 2006 Miner Gibson Ranch Mendocino 14.1% $24 http://www.snooth.com/wine/miner-family-vineyards-sangiovese-gibson-ranch-2006-1/ Lightly smoky, dried meats, integrated cedar, dried cherries, layered and high toned with a touch of brownie oozing in, Nice aromatics with a touch of green tea lurking, sweet spices, strawberry jam notes, really ripe red fruits and a touch of apricot, sweetness that blossoms with air. Lovely lithe mouthfeel that is fairly seamless even though this is big, rich and relatively packed with tannin. Bitter cherry and bitter almond fruit offset the tannins which are a touch astringent but refreshing, nicely integrated acids, dark cherry fruit, a touch of brownie again, and a little bit of citron peel, nicely assembled and balanced. Bracing, astringent finish, good length in a powerful style that isn’t overdone. A touch oaky and in need of a bit of cellar time but the fruit is deep enough to age well and there is plenty of intensity here. 92pts    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Sangiovese PTP 1 by Gregory Dal Piaz

  
  

• January 2009

  In coordination with Snooth's Global Tasting initiative I scheduled our Panel Tasting Program blind event this past week as a focus on Syrah, California Syrah to be specific. With every PTP there tends to be a few wines at both end of the spectrum that are really divisive. This... Read moreIn coordination with Snooth's Global Tasting initiative I scheduled our Panel Tasting Program blind event this past week as a focus on Syrah, California Syrah to be specific. With every PTP there tends to be a few wines at both end of the spectrum that are really divisive. This weeks event was no different and in fact several of the wines really polarized the group with people voting for a certain wine as either their favorite or their least favorite without much middle ground. A surprising result, especially since I was one who named this wine my #1! But that is the way things go sometimes and why it is so important to assemble a panel with diverse interests and palates. One lesson I hope people come away from after participating in or reading about our tastings is that there simply is no "right" palate. Everyone needs to come to their own conclusions as to how the wines taste to them. That is simply the only thing that really counts. Relying on critics can be helpful, especially when one is only just getting in to wine, but once you've found your style finding additional wines that excite you is something only you can do. It can be argued that this is exactly why professional critics are needed, they bring some consistency to the marketplace. Of course that is simply not true. They may bring the consistency of their views but as this panel has shown that will only correlate with a segment of the market, and another equally large segment might very well have diametrically opposed views. So what can one do, well read as much as possible, find people whose palates seem to match well with yours, and try, try, try! Snooth Panel Tasting Program - where we try, try, try. You might notice that this weeks PTP photos are of the bottles after the tasting. Just for fun I thought we might want to illustrate which bottles had seemn the most demand and whether that actually correlated to our most highly rated bottles. The answers are inconclusive but it was a fun excersize none-the-less. The Players Mike - Wine enthusiast Cheryl - Wine enthusiast Greg - Wine professional Justin - Wine professional Scott - Wine professional Mark - Wine enthusiast Dave - Wine enthusiast And me your humble scribe. Flight 1 - postcards from Napa 1 - 2006 Neyers Napa Valley Ca - Hudson Vineyards Syrah 14.1% $40 Groups #8, my #8 There was a fair amount of consensus on this wine with virtually everyone commenting on the growing sweetness of the wine as it breathed. Greg Justin and Scott all felt that it turned too sweet with Justin initially liking “the sweet blackberry nose” but being turned off by the wine turning “syrupy and bitter on the finish”. For Greg this wine “went from being my favorite of the flight to least favorite… it turns too sweet on the finish.”  Cheryl and Mark were the wines biggest proponents and while Cheryl felt it turned “a little sweeter with air” it also become “ fruitier with nice wood, dark fruits and a little pepper.” Mark felt the heat “ took a bit away from it” but noted that it was “potent with ripe cherry, licorice and leather.”  I found it polished and a bit simple but well balanced. 2 - 2004 Burgess Napa Valley Syrah 14.7% $20 Groups #4, my #6 This wine was a bit more divisive with Mike finding “a little candy on the nose but the palate is nice with nice structure, red fruits and vanilla notes. A fairly nice wine” Scott also found “forward aromas of black berry, vanilla and cola”, but thought the wine, while “ texturally very smooth is linear and not very deep, pleasant but not much to it.” Both Justin and Greg noted a bit of an herbal note on the nose and commented on the tannins sticking out. This was a bit simple but I found it to be well built to highlight the bright, pure fruit. 3 - 2005 LaTour Vineyards Napa Valley Ca Syrah 14.8% $26.50 Groups #10 my # 9 This wine was a bit of an odd bird with its powerful, dark, earthy character. Cheryl “didn’t care for this, its earthy and barnyardy, green in the middle and drying.” Dave found similar traits of “mushrooms, and earth” and Commented on “the tannic structure but this opens nicely with black cherries.” Mark “thought the nose was light but this has a rough bite of tannins followed up by medicinal, herbaceous eucalyptus, menthol notes in the mouth.” Scott also found “medicinal, chemically, eucalyptus flavors with dark fruits and a little earth” on the nose and felt the “flavors were smoky cherry with a white pepper finish.” I found this to be pretty aggressively styled and will benefit from some age to mellow the tannins and allow the wine to fully integrate but it is a dark, earthy style that is not typical for California. Flight 2 - A mixed bag of the World's Syrah 4 - 2006 Alesia Santa Lucia Highlands Ca Fairview Ranch Vineyard Syrah 14.25%  $60 Group # 7, my #1 This was the most polarizing wine ever in one of our blind tastings. Greg felt “ far and away the best of the flight with a spicy earthy nose” while Scott felt this was the “ worst wine by far, heavy sulfur on the nose and more sulfur on the palate.” Dave pretty much shared Scott’s take finding “ vinegar, sulfur and cat pee” on the nose but finding that the wine offered “ dark ripe fruit with coffee and chocolate notes.”  Mark also found some redeeming features in the wine, it’s “bright red fruit, huge acidity, medicinal and meaty” flavors with an “ earthy, mushroomy finish.” I thought this was just great, elegant, varietal pure and correct, lively and complex. Sure it’s got a lot of acid but isn’t that what we want in a wine? A polarizing wine indeed! 5 - 2006 Snoqualmie Columbia Valley Washington State Syrah 13.9% - $12 Groups #12, my #12 And just to keep thing unpredictable here we had unanimous consistency. Mike found the wine to be “very simple” which was pretty much the most complimentary thing anyone had to say. Cheryl noted that it smelled “like Mattel in a very bad way”, recalling the aroma of a particular era of Barbie doll, which lead to a brief discussion on which G I Joe would have been comparable, a discussion far more interesting than the wine! Justin had his politician’s cap on noting, “ there is nothing obnoxious here, some reduced flavors with a soft mouthfeel.” I found this to be insipid and amorphous. Nuff said. 6 - 2006 Luca Laborde Double Select Syrah Uco Valley Mendoza, Argentina 13.9%  $25   Groups #2, my #4 Here we had a fairly broad range of opinions and this finished in second place based on it’s showing as a few folks second and third place wine. It did not receive any first place votes so it sort of snuck in the back door. Mike was not a fan finding that this smelled “ like cough syrup” and noting “there’s not much good to find in it”. Greg Noted it was “ big, sweet, extracted and woody” Perhaps a better review but still not complimentary. Dave enjoyed the “ simple aromas of toasted red fruit” and found the wine to be “ very balanced and chewy with notes of white pepper and blueberry and a great finish.” Scott also found a lot to like noting “ there are nice red fruits here. This has best balance of the wines so far, nice full flavor, balance of dark fruit, oak, forest floor and a fairly lengthy finish,” I found this to be elegant, complex and complete. A well crafted surprise! Flight 3 - Santa Ynez Valley 7 - 2006 Stolpman Santa Ynez Valley Estate Syrah 15.1% $30 Group’s # 5, my #5 This wine also had some divergent views but perhaps less so. Scott felt this was part of the “Australian flight!” and did not enjoy the “ sweet, candied cough syrup” quality of the wine or “it’s alcoholic finish.’ On the other hand Cheryl “loved everything about this wine!’ It’s bright and sweet and reminds me of Watermelon Bonny Bell lip gloss!” Mike thought, “there’s a lot happening here, it’s a little awkward but it has a decent mouthfeel and nice, dusty black cherry fruit.” Justin found the nose to be “bright and fruity” but thought the palate “ was a bit watery and lacked concentration with a fruit rind bitterness on the end.”  To me this was proto-typical California Syrah and well done at that but the acid was a touch out of whack. 8 - 2005 Firestone Santa Ynez Valley California Syrah 13.5% $18  Group’s #11, my #11 This fell to the bottom of the heap based more on the relative strength of the other wines than through any fault of it’s own. As Dave put it “ this feels diluted and just fizzles on the palate.”  Greg was more complimentary noting “sweet vanilla and wood on the nose then a slightly acidic feel but this is nice and easy going.” Mark found the nose to be “tangy and a bit hot” which he also found on the palate but “with a nice leather character, the acids are refreshing and the long finish has some nice pepper. This is good.” Scott felt this was another “hit you over the head with sweet fruit” wine. He found “ blueberry pie, orange rind and a hint of rubber “ aromas with some “stewed tomatoes” on the palate feeling that there “was a lot up front but not enough in the back.” In contrast Mike found this to be “ the most elegant of the flight with black cherry, bacon and pepper on the nose and a nice dustiness on the finish. I like it.” I enjoyed the flavors of this wine but the structure felt very disjointed and left me flat. 9 - 2004 Zaca Mesa Santa Ynez Valley Ca Estate Syrah 14.5% $20 Group’s # 3, my #3 Initially Greg “disliked this wine. It smelled of gasoline, really reductive and a little hot” but as Mike noted “this came around in a big way.” Justin noted, “while this was a little funny at first it shows the most typicity and while it’s a touch oaky and alcoholic it has the best structure and concentration of the flight.”  Cheryl never got pas the “definition of bad nose” though she did find it “much better on the palate though it was watery in the middle and not very well knit together.” Dave found “strawberries, meat, herbal and burnt rubber notes” on the nose and though this was “kind of balanced if a little woody.” I thought this was youthful, balanced, complex and among the most interesting wines of the night, and a great value! Flight 4 10 - 2006 Dry Stack Cellars(aka Grey Stack) Dry Stack Vineyard Bennett Valley Ca- Marie’s Block Syrah 15.5% $40 Group’s #6, my #2 Here we had another divisive wine, what a surprise! Mike “hated it! It’s over-extracted beyond comprehension, I couldn’t even drink it.” Scott found “ a touch of sulfur, the sage and forest floor” notes on the nose and felt ‘ the flavors are almost over the top and there’s lots of alcohol that really take over the second half.” Or as Cheryl put it “ that’s a drown your sorrows wine!” Mark also found this “ extremely alcoholic, it took over and hit me on the head overpowering the medicinal, sharp, leather flavors.” Greg on the other hand commented on the “ meaty, spicy nose, I really like that note of clove here.” Justin found this “weird and exotic” and felt the “fruit flavors were really out there with marzipan, wild cherry candy and cotton candy notes.” This is an extreme style but I found the depth and balance bode well for positive development.  I can’t drink a lot of this or have it frequently but this was some well made power Syrah! 11 - 2006 Grey Stack- Dry Stack Vineyard - Bennett Valley Ca The Narcissist Syrah 15.8% $48 Group’s #9, my #10 While from the same winemaker and vintage this really presented a different side to California Syrah. While Cheryl felt “ this didn’t have a lot going on” she did not it was ‘easy like Sunday morning”. Greg found the nose to be “meaty and baconny, it even had a pine needle quality to it.” Scott also found bacon on the nose But with “ floral notes, cola, cherry and some vanilla.”  Mike found this to be “smooth on the palate with nice cherry and blueberry fruit, nothing objectionable.” To me this was a bit flabby and over-oaked with not much Syrah character and way too much wood spice. 12 - 2006 Four Vines Santa Barbara County Ca Los Alamos Vineyard- One Tree Hill Block Syrah 14.8% $36 Group’s #1, my # 7 Well we had to have a winner and this was it! Dave found the nose “medicinal but natural with violet, lilac and herbs. It felt really natural to me and fruity with cherry, cola and spice flavors.” Mark felt the “ lower alcohol helped the bright, medicinal nose with notes of licorice and red berries. It was crisp on the palate with black pepper and anise on the finish that carried through from the mid-palate.” Mike also found this to be “very medicinal but it’s not a negative element. It’s elegant and well structured, rich and chewy with a lot going for it.” Justin thought it was “pretty full bodied with walnut and cherry flavors, a little leather, some bell peppers but it kind of tailed off after awhile.” Greg enjoyed the “ super-ripe fruit, vegetal notes on the finish and lingering smoky flavor.” Scott was the lone dissenter in the group adding, “ I really didn’t like this, it smells wooly and of camphor. That chemical, medicinal thing followed through on the palate with brown sugar and cherry flavors. This was very disjointed. “ I sort of agreed. This was not my style of wine at all, too ft and creamy for me, but it was well made and intense without really being over the top, for California Syrah. 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)

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