Barrel Oak Winery

• March 2010

  Seems like you'd be safer not drinking any wine that was put into barrels.  So keep to crisp white wines that are done in stainless steel, or red or white wines that are done in cement tanks or are not made with barrel aging.  There are many such wines.  Some of the... Read moreSeems like you'd be safer not drinking any wine that was put into barrels.  So keep to crisp white wines that are done in stainless steel, or red or white wines that are done in cement tanks or are not made with barrel aging.  There are many such wines.  Some of the young wines from all over the world are made to be consumed early and they have no wood - Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Austria all make such wines, as do many producers in Argentina and Chile and South Africa. In the US it may be harder to find reds that have no wood, but you can always ask.  Sometimes the back of the bottle may give some information - for ex, it may say 6 mos in barrel, etc.  That tells you not to try it.  Sometimes it will say unoaked, and that's a good thing to look for.  Insofar as I know, there is no law regarding this in any country.  Never researched it though, so I'm not certain.  However, DO NOT rely on the absence of information on the label to draw a conclusion because this can be misleading, in spite of what others may tell you.  Morellino di Scansano, for example, as far as I know, doesn't go into barrels, but you should check.  In Spain they have a category called "joven", that some people mistakenly think means unoaked.  That's not true at all and a joven can be in barrels for a long long time.  In addition, if it's the wheat paste that is the issue, many wines are made by putting oak staves into the tank.  Those provide some of the flavoring of the wood but since there is no barrel and hence no need to seal the barrel, you don't get the wheat. Also, in very old barrels, there is often a build up of crystals from the wine and that should in theory protect the wine from coming into direct contact with the barrel.  But again, if it's a health issue, I'd check w a chemist first. Sorry to hear about your problem.  It's something I never would have considered.     (hide)

  Forum post in the topic New here and questioning... by GregT

  
  

• March 2010

  The Latest Releases from Torbreck A Line up of Barossa's finest Founded only in 1994, Torbreck has quickly emerged as one of Australia’s most acclaimed wineries.  David Powell, a local boy by way of Adelaide, left a career in accounting in search of... Read more The Latest Releases from Torbreck A Line up of Barossa's finest Founded only in 1994, Torbreck has quickly emerged as one of Australia’s most acclaimed wineries.  David Powell, a local boy by way of Adelaide, left a career in accounting in search of a new lifestyle. His journey took him to some of the great vineyards of Europe and California, as well as to Scotland, where he cut wood in a forest called Torbreck. Judging from the name, it looks like David might be a sentimental kind of guy. No doubt that contributes to his love of the old vineyards in the Barossa Valley. Once David decided that wine was to be his future, he found work at Rockford Vineyards in the Barossa Valley and began a new journey of discovery. His work at Rockford led to the discovery of ancient, dry-farmed vineyards that time had almost forgotten. What to expect: Australian Shiraz Australia has certainly made Syrah its own, even bestowing it with a new name: Shiraz. In the warm, dry climate of Australia this noble grape, responsible for some of the grandest wines of France, produces an intense, unique expression that is distinctly Australian. The ripe grapes take on classic notes of black pepper and leather that add depth and complexity to the black cherry and plum fruits on the palate. Australian Shiraz has typically been aged in American oak barrels which impart a distinct note of vanilla to the wines; the time in the barrel also allows the wines time to integrate, revealing their rich, voluptuously-styled mouthfeel. With the help of their owners, David set about revitalizing these ancient vines. By sharing both the responsibility for the vineyard and its crop, David secured parcels of old vine fruit for himself from some of the oldest vineyards in the world at a very affordable cost: The cost of nurturing them back to life. These small lots -- the first in 1995 was only 3 tons -- became the heart and soul of Torbreck. With each successive farming agreement, or straight-out vineyard purchase, David is working to ensure not only his supply of these old vine treasures, but that the history of Barossa is not plowed under to be forgotten. David’s sentimental take on life is apparent in the naming of each wine, as well. Each has a story to tell. While the majority of Torbreck’s wines are red, David was convinced that these lands were also well-suited for the production of white wines. Based on the great Shiraz, Grenache, and Mataro that thrives in the Barossa, his thoughts turned specifically to the white wines of the Rhone valley. With that in mind, David’s original purchase of land in Marananga (now known as the Descendant Vineyard) was selected for its suitability for the white varietals Marsanne, Roussane, and Viognier. Shiraz was, of course, also included in the new plantings.  It is here, adjacent to these vines that David planted, that the brand new Torbreck Winery has been built. Open for just 2 years, this new facility extends the control that David can exercise over these old vine masterpieces. From haggard old vineyards to state of the art bottling lines, Torbreck wines are made in a way that captures the essence of the Barossa. Torbreck is a winery building a future on tradition, heritage, and, yes, sentimentality. These wines each tell a story that can almost be related to as a chapter in the history of the Barossa valley. So without further ado, let’s let the wines do the talking.   [PAGEBREAK]   2008 Torbreck Woodcutter’s Semillon – Screwcap -  14% What a great nose right off the bat, featuring rich melon, quince, and pear fruit folded up with nuanced floral tones and hints of honey and woodsmoke. From the nose you might expect this to be very bright in the mouth, and there is plenty of acid here, but the entry is rich and soft, and the wine fairly rolls across the palate. The flavors are very youthful and a bit tight with notes of wheat, apple, and meyer lemon across the mid-palate; this turns more tropical on the backend and onto the long finish, which has note of blood orange and citrus fruits before yielding to a very fine mineral finale. This is a big white wine, but in a very refreshing style; it would be dynamite with a rich white fish in a buerre blanc. 92pts   2008 Cuvee Juveniles – Screwap 14.5%   This has quite the fruity nose with jammy strawberries sprinkled with white pepper joined by some dried game notes and hints of dried grass. On entry, this is round and soft with a sweet edge to it. There is bit too much acid, but nice tannins help flesh out the mid-palate. The fruit is fresh and primary and the flavors really mirror the nose with strawberry jam, pepper, game, and a touch of wood spice. The fruit turns blacker on the backend and drops off quite a bit on the short finish, which ends on a slightly sweet, jammy note. A bit monotone and gangly but with plenty of fruit. 86pts   2006 Torbreck The Factor  14.5% The nose on this starts out quite subtle and slowly builds with deep, powerful aromas of grilled meats, licorice, cracked black pepper, saffron, dried violet,  and camphor.  Lovely in the mouth with a gentle, balanced quality that belies the wine’s depth and richness. The tannins are super fine and can easily be missed but are lurking within the ball of slightly minty, candied black berry fruit that has hints of game, barnyard, and gum  seeping out. The backend and the finish carry these accents, and the gum and barnyard aromatics add a lot of nuance and length on the very long finish. Really elegant and well balanced for such an intense wine, this is Shiraz but it gets your attention by whispering while making crazy faces, not yelling. 93pts   2006 Torbreck The Struie – 14% This offers up rather subtle aromatics with a spicy oak top note followed by gentle notes of plum and black raspberry edged with licorice, tar and olive brine. In the mouth this is very rich, yet very well balanced. There’s a lot of flavor here with black raspberry fruit bursting on the mid-palate and gaining notes of spice, toasty pie crust, subtle mint and even some herb tones lurking in the fruit which show up on the long finish as a nuanced tomato/barbeque sauce tone. The feel of the wine is moderately chewy and quite fresh, particularly on the long finish, which is richly fruited but lacks any sweetness. It’s got a nice spice tone on the finish and lovely suggestions of soil and talc on the finale.  If The Factor is whispering this talking trigonometry.  This is really interesting and fairly complex but paying attention to it is rewarding. 92pts   2005 Torbreck Run Rig 14.5% At first whiff this has an unusual blend or red fruit and peach on the nose. There’s a fair amount of wood is adding complexity to the nose but in a very narrow register. This smells as much of damp soil and crushed fruit, with a hint of dandelion to it, than of the wood. It’s not giving up too much and actually closes down over time.  On entry this has a sweetness to it and there are notes of apricot and honey right up front before the tannins begin to assert themselves. There are masses of dark fruit as well, but still rather raw and unformed. The mid-palate is quite spicy with a stemmy nuance and a round, slightly viscous feel, like cherry juice. There are mint, and vaguely medicinal notes as well that lead to a short finished impeded by tannins at this stage and the finish is a bit hot. This seems less well balanced than many of the other Torbreck wines.  90pts   2006 Torbreck The Pict Mataro – 14% Smoky and ashy on the nose with deep notes of speck, pressed flowers, wild thyme and gravel with a whiff of rubber.  Great entry, rich yet fairly lightweight with crisp tannins and lively yet integrated acidity. This is dark with spicy herb tones, a hint of vanilla, and dark fruit that has notes of black tea to it. The flavors are nicely complex with emerging notes of leather and wild berries, bilberries, always with a spicy, almost herbal top note, but the texture of this wine is great. On the back end this is remarkably light on it’s toes and gains some dried grass and gamy tones, with lots of dried chorizo on the long finish. A very impressive wine that would be great with roast goat or venison. 94pts   2006 Torbreck The Steading 60% Grenache – 20% Mataro – 20% Shiraz 14.5% This offers up nice herb, floral and light fruit tones that recall melon rinds and gentle red berry, almost raspberry jam tones. There’s a nice toasty tone to the fruit as well.  Gentle and a bit loose feeling on entry, this is well knit offering rich red fruit tones, wild cherries and currants in an open-knit style. The mid-palate has a subtle medicinal tone and a touch of nuttiness to it but this remains primarily about the red fruit. The finish is fairly short. A nice wine if a bit simple. 87pts   2006 Torbreck Les Amis Grenache 14.5% This has a pretty hot nose right off the bat.  The wine shows some meatiness and hints of fruit, chalk, flowers, and herb over a bit of woodiness but the heat is disturbing. Rich and soft on entry, with bright acids and meaty red fruits that fill the mouth, this certainly doesn’t lack for flavor but, again, the alcohol throws this off balance.  This almost redeems itself on the finish with its wonderfully aromatic fruits but just when I’m getting my hopes up it burns again. Promising but too much alcohol. 84pts Great Old Vine Shiraz, and Mataro! 2006 Torbreck The Struie Shiraz Priced from $53.99 This offers up rather subtle aromatics with a spicy oak top note over a bed of plum and black raspberry edged with licorice, tar, and olive brine. In the mouth this is very rich, yet very well-balanced. There’s a lot of flavor here with black raspberry fruit bursting on the mid-palate and gaining notes of spice, toasty pie crust, subtle mint and even some herb tones which show up on the long finish. 2006 Tobreck The Steading GSM Priced from $29.99 This offers up nice herb, floral and light fruit tones on the nose that recall melon rinds and gentle red berry, almost raspberry jam.  Gentle and a bit loose feeling on entry, this is offering rich red fruit tones, wild cherries and currants in an open-knit style. The mid-palate has a subtle medicinal tone and a touch of nuttiness to it but this remains primarily about the red fruit    (hide)

  From the article Torbreck Wines

  
  

• February 2010

  Different viewpoints but I think your idea is perfect. Get some blackberries and eat them and smell them. Then open a jar of blackberry jam. Same thing but also different. That cooked smell comes through in a lot of wines as much as the blackberry flavors themselves. Do the same... Read moreDifferent viewpoints but I think your idea is perfect. Get some blackberries and eat them and smell them. Then open a jar of blackberry jam. Same thing but also different. That cooked smell comes through in a lot of wines as much as the blackberry flavors themselves. Do the same w pomegranate, sour cherries, white peaches, bell peppers, cucumber, etc. See if you can discern a difference between white and yellow peaches, sour red and black cherries, different apples. And there are non-fruit smells too. Go sharpen a pencil. Sometimes you get that aroma. Get a piece of oak or just go to Home Depot and check out the unfinished oak flooring. Smell it. That's your barrel. I like your idea a lot. It's exactly the way to go IMO.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Strategies for building a... by GregT

  
  

• February 2010

  dirk - the other thing to remember is that the "real wine experts" are most of the time full of crap. They're told that cab is supposed to taste like cassis, or black currants, and they say that it does, but half of them probably never really ate black currants in anything other... Read moredirk - the other thing to remember is that the "real wine experts" are most of the time full of crap. They're told that cab is supposed to taste like cassis, or black currants, and they say that it does, but half of them probably never really ate black currants in anything other than jam. I happen to have a few bushes and grew up drinking that juice, and for the life of me I really can't say that most cabs have that flavor, but then what do I know? Same with most of those descriptors. Pencil lead is pretty clear when it occurs. I remember the first time I tasted a wine with that - it just seemed so obvious. But again, people find that where as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't exist because I don't find it in most wine. Don't be concerned with picking out flavors, or trying to sound like you detect things because you think you're supposed to. When you eat a piece of toast and jam, do you just gulp it down or do you think about it? Do you taste your coffee or just slam it down? I tried to eat a piece of a Kit Kat the other day. Had to spit it out. Just tasted like fat and sugar and made me a bit nauseous because I paid attention. I can't imagine how else you would eat something but I assume that most people don't pay attention and therefore can consume something like that. Point is, if you pay attention to everything you eat and drink, you're just fine. You can't ignore everything else and pay attention only to wine, although I wonder if that's what some people actually try to do. If you've tasted a number of different things in your life, you have more comparisons. It's like words - if you've read a bit, you have a larger vocabulary than someone who never reads. If you've tasted a bit, you have a larger taste library to draw from. But don't worry about coming up with a million taste descriptions for a glass of wine or you risk sounding like a yo-yo who can't simply sit down and enjoy a glass w/out twisting himself into knots! Now that I've given you my little sermon, I'll suggest a few things you can do. Take a piece of oak flooring. Sand it lightly and smell the dust. That's oak and that's what you're going to smell in wines that are fresh from the barrel. Cut up a green pepper. That scent is going to show up from time to time in sauvignon blanc and most of the carmenet family. Go outside and take some dirt into your hands. Rub it around and smell it. That scent comes through in many wines, describing it as you will. There's a bit of mushroom in it, which some call "forest floor" but there's also an ashy / dusty kind of quality that seems to come up in a lot of wine too. Get a grapefruit and peel it. Smell and taste the white side of the peel - a flavor and aroma that shows up in many whites. Get a quince somewhere. My mother used to make jelly out of it, most Americans have no idea what it is, but find one and cut into it and taste it. That's another flavor / aroma that often shows up in whites. Next fall, get a white peach and a yellow peach. Cut into them and smell and taste them. You really don't need to do it more than once and if you're paying attention, you'll remember. Remember that the most primitive part of our brains has to do with scent. Good luck!    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic How best to learn how to... by GregT

  
  

• February 2010

  The Mondavi Story Continues Robert Mondavi heads out on his own I left off last week after going through the first chapter of the Mondavi Story, which ended with the ongoing adventures of the Peter Mondavi Branch of the family at Charles Krug. Peter and Robert... Read more The Mondavi Story Continues Robert Mondavi heads out on his own I left off last week after going through the first chapter of the Mondavi Story, which ended with the ongoing adventures of the Peter Mondavi Branch of the family at Charles Krug. Peter and Robert are the children of Cesare, the Mondavi who started it all.  In a way, Robert was following in his father’s footsteps when he set off to found his eponymous winery in 1964.  As with most success stories, the factual has gained a drape of the romantic with the passage of time. I certainly do not know all the intimate details of this split, though many have reported that fisticuffs preceded Robert’s fateful decision to head out on his own. A decision that must have been particularly difficult knowing that, not only was the Charles Krug Winery profitable, but much of this success was directly attributable to Robert’s tireless efforts on its behalf. The story of the Mondavi Family is intertwined with that of the famed To Kalon vineyard. For years the source of some of the world's greatest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon, To Kalon has also quietly been responsible for exceptional Suavignon Blanc. This slice of Oakville deserves all its accolades, and is as close to a Grand Cru as Napa Valley can claim. Explore the Robert Mondavi Winery You can find part one of the Mondavi Story here: Cesare Mondavi: In the beginning   Whatever the history may be, one thing is for sure: Robert Mondavi set out on his own. With the help of some $200,000 that he was able to raise, he purchased 12 acres in Oakville, the heart of the Napa Valley.  By 1966 the Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley’s first new winery since the repeal of Prohibition, was ready for its first crush. The first wine released from the new winery, in 1967, was a Chenin Blanc, typical of the wines offered for sale in those early years. Before Cabernet was king the vineyards were planted primarily with Chenin Blanc,  Chardonnay, and a small plot of Sauvignon Blanc. That Sauvignon Blanc would lead to one of the first indelible marks impressed on the Napa wine industry by Robert. After a trip, in 1962, to visit some of the great wine estates of France, Robert returned to Napa Valley convinced that one of the elements that set the greatest European wines apart from, and above, their American cousins was the use of French oak barrels for aging. From virtually the moment of his return, Robert began experimenting with various wood types and barrel sizes before settling on the French barrique as the ideal aging vessel for his fine wines. The first chance Robert had to market test his theory came along in 1968, when he introduced a revolutionary wine: his Fumé Blanc. The world had never before seen a Fumé Banc, and in fact it was a proprietary name, used as much to add a little panache to the Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc, as to signify that this was not the Sauvignon Blanc of years gone by. It was fermented until dry, blended with a touch of Semillon, and aged in French oak barrels.  Fumé Blanc was a hit and helped to establish the Robert Mondavi winery as a leader in its field, and a force to be reckoned with. While much of the success of the Fumé Blanc, and subsequent wines like the Reserve Cabernet, can be attributed to the innovation and attention to detail always practiced at the Robert Mondavi winery, the fact that the fruit came from one of the valley’s greatest vineyards, To Kalon, cannot be discounted. Recently, I was fortunate to join a group of wine lovers here in New York in order to taste through some of the Robert Mondavi wines with Margrit Mondavi, Robert’s widow. It was a pleasure to hear Magrit recount the story of Robert and the winery while trying a nice flight of wine, many from the famed To Kalon vineyard. Robert and Margrit Mondavi  Read about the To Kalon vineyard on the next page. [PAGEBREAK] The To Kalon vineyard was named by its original owner, H. W. Crabb, another of Napa’s true pioneers. In 1868, just 7 years after the Charles Krug Winery was founded, H. W. Crabb began producing wines from 360 acres in Oakville that he eventually named To Kalon, or “Highest Beauty” in Greek.  Crabb is credited with planting the first Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc vines in Napa valley, and by the late 1880s had experimented with some 400 different grape varieties. The To Kalon label, under which Crabb bottled his wines, won awards around the world and developed into one of the first California wineries with a following outside the state.  H.W. Crabb past away in 1899, and the To Kalon Vineyard went through the hands of two families before Robert Mondavi purchased almost 12 acres in 1966 to start his own winery. Mondavi was familiar with the great wines that had been made from To Kalon fruit at Charles Krug, which had purchased the lion’s share of the original vineyard in 1962, after making great wines with purchased fruit for about a decade.   The Mondavi winery lies within the To Kalon Vineyard. In 1976, to finally close the book on the story that had led to Robert’s original departure from Charles Krug, he took control of some 240 acres of the original To Kalon vineyard from Charles Krug. In the intervening years the vineyard has grown to some 550 acres, all called To Kalon.  Exactly what makes the To Kalon vineyard special is a question I do not have the answer to. It’s a broad stretch of land that reaches to the Mayacamas foothills along the Napa valley floor. In doing so it traverses several distinct meso-climates and terroirs. From the rich alluvial soils closest to the river planted to Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, to the well-drained gravels that creep to the hillside, planted to Cabernet, the wines produced from these vines simply tend to have something more, a little finesse and better balance, than many of their neighbors. The complete story of Robert Mondavi could not be told in the space of this article, and certainly not in the time I have to tell it. If you'd like to learn more about the history of Robert Mondavi I can suggest: The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty For a more complete understanding of Robert Mondavi, hearing him recount his own story is indispensible, so take a look at Harvests of Joy: How the Good Life Became Great Business as well. For the purposes of this article it’s worth mentioning that Robert turned over day-to-day management of the winery to his sons, Tim and Michael, in 1990. Their commitment to quality has been as deep as their father’s. In an effort to lift Robert Mondavi wines to the next level they undertook a project that embraced the best of time-tested techniques and integrated the best of the new, and they called it: To Kalon. The project revolves around a distinct winemaking facility that uses upright wood fermenters for the vinification of their red wines, and incorporates as little technology as possible, putting the winemaking back in the hands of the winemakers. The flow of juice, from press, in basket presses, to bottling is all helped along by gravity. The wines made by the To Kalon project stand as testament to the passion of a long line of men with the vision that has turned Napa Valley from fruit orchards and dairy pens into the one of the world's finest source of wine: H.W. Crabb, Charles Krug, Cesare Mondavi,and, last but not least, Robert Mondavi. The Robert Mondavi Winery is now owned the Constellation brands. They have made a commitment to continue down the path first blazed by Robert Mondavi. Since their acquisition of the winery, completed in 2004, not much seems to have changed. Time will tell whether the wines made today are the equal of those made by the Mondavi’s own hands. And that, of course, leads us on to the wines! This tasting focused on the wine from Ta Kalon, and in particular the Reserve Cabernet and the truly exceptional Sauvignon Blancs. Who knew they were so special? Read the tasting notes on the next page. [PAGEBREAK] An Exploration of To Kalon Vineyard with Margrit Mondavi 1/27/2010 The two Fume Blancs, as they are known of course, come from the To Kalon vineyard with one carrying the further designation: I Block. The I Block is reputed to be the oldest Sauvignon Blanc vineyard in the US, with vines planted around 1945. About half of the vines in the I Block are original, the other half having been replaced as needed. The To Kalon reserve bottling comes from vines that are undergoing a progressive replanting to introduce the best clonal variations and rootstocks into the vineyard, as well as to adjust vine spacing to what are considered to be ideal densities. Both the I Block and the To Kalon Reserve are 100% barrel fermented in barrique, about 1/3 new, and are aged in barrel for nine to ten months. The To Kalon benefits from an addition of 10% Semillon, while the I Block is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. For notes on a previous dinner where I tasted Mondavi’s Reserve Cabernet from 1975-1979 please see the notes here. The Tasting Flight   2001 Mondavi To Kalon Fume Blanc Reserve This is amazingly expressive on the nose with fresh field greens edged in mineral tones with a hint of smoke. The fruit is rich and green with melon and fresh fig tones balanced by touches of green hazelnut and olive. There’s a nice waxy element tying everything together. In the mouth this starts out feeling rich and round but the excellent acids give this uncommon definition on the midpalate and contribute to an almost blood orange tone. The backend has a lovely mineral edge to it that draws out the restrained, transparent fruit that is built on acids. On the finale, bright, almost sweet fruit wins out. This is the best domestic Sauvignon Blanc I’ve ever had.  95pts   2007 Mondavi To Kalon Fume Blanc Reserve In contrast to the 2001 this edition of the To Kalon Sauv Blanc has more ripe fruit, but it’s also bundled up a bit tighter. There’s a light, smoky wood tone on the nose with hints of peach, lime and lime zest. With air, subtle floral, geranium petal, and almost saffron-like notes emerge from the glass. On the palate this is rich and ripe with softer acids than the 2001 but still very vibrant. It’s got a youthful, taut, linear feel to it with excellent intensity of flavor. On the backend a salty, mineral note emerges and gives this an almost margarita-like quality with the blend of citrus fruit and that geranium, vegetal tone. This really needs time to show at its best. 92pts   2007 Mondavi I Block Fume Blanc This is subtly smoky with some geranium stem notes and slightly woodsy tones under a layer of ripe, limey fruit. In the mouth this is rich and perfumed with a very smooth texture that makes it immediately attractive The fruits tend to the tropical with notes of pineapple, citrus and melon, though there are intriguing notes of white peach and green tomato adding depth and complexity. This finishes with a minor mineral flourish and lovely inner mouth perfumes of fresh herbs. 90pts   1995 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon From 3 liter bottle Youthful and tight on the nose with a lovely core of ripe fruit that lays red currant notes over a bed of loamy soil tones and adds classic wood spice notes around the edges. This is classic California Cabernet, quite ripe but retaining the herbal element that gives it such a complex bouquet. On entry this is rich but a bit angular still. The wine has excellent depth and concentration, needing only some time to allow the rich currant fruit to fully emerge. Already there is a lot of fine detail on the palate with a subtle, savory complexity of herbs, roast meat, and boysenberries that emerges on the long finish.  This is delicious. 94pts   2000 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon From 6 liter This starts out a bit shallow on the nose with significant notes of herbs and tea dominating the aromatics. The fruit is there, rather compact, dark and not particularly distinctive. On the palate this offers an attractive blend of toast, gravel dust, light smoke and tomato leaf tones that add complexity to the fruit. It’s a touch lean, but is almost silky with an elegant, refined feel and a nice, crisp finish. 88pts See additional tasting notes on the next page [PAGEBREAK] Wines with dinner. 2008 Mondavi Fume Blanc This offers up plenty of green fruits and grapefruit on the nose with a hint of mineral smoke but is a bit simple. On the palate it’s snappy and fresh with nice acid, but--like the nose--is a bit on the simple side. It’s got nice balance and a decent finish; while serviceable, isn’t very exciting. 86pts   2007 Mondavi Pinot Noir Reserve This really offers up some nice, complex aromatics that start off rather pine foresty with really sweet wood tones that recall coffee cream and marshmallows but gains some depth with a meaty note and accents of sweet pipe tobacco and some dried tomato. On entry, this is sweet, but it quickly turns hard and angular with tough little tannins fighting the small red fruits for your attention. The tannins win on the moderately short finish, which is also a tad hot.This just may need time but is a little disappointing.  86pts   1981 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon From 6 liter This is quite obviously old with notes of carrots and parsnips on the nose that slowly fade into the background, adding a dusty vegetal character to the emergent black currant fruit. On the palate this is fully resolved with a silky feel and complex, layered flavors of sweet fruit, cedar, cigarbox tones and hints of freshly cut grass and roasted coffee beans on the long finish. There is no doubt that this is past prime, even in this large format, but the wine still is captivating, with excellent balance. 90pts   2006 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Young notes on the nose recall coffee cream with a buttery edge over jammy red fruits with hints of herb, leather and a touch of medicinal, cola syrup. On the palate this is balanced with prominent acidity and emerging floral inner mouth perfume. It’s a bit tight on the mid-palate with good extract and a chewy feel, yet this is not particularly rich feeling. There’s a bit of vanilla that peaks out on the moderate finish which is balanced by notes of chocolate, tobacco and cassis fruit. This may very well improve with age as almost every Mondavi Reserve has, but I have some doubts about where this is headed. 88pts   2000 Sauvignon Blanc Botrytis This smells decadent with rich notes of candied almonds, dried apricots, dried citrus fruits, candied grapefruit peel and an herbal top note all jumping from the glass. In the mouth it’s medium rich with a nice sugar/acid balance that keeps it lively. The fruit is supported by the generous acidity and complemented by an almond brittle edge. Real length with apricot fruit and nuanced caramel emerging on the finale. 92pts Two of Mondavi's Best Wines 2000 Robert Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc Botrytis Priced from $40.00 This smells decadent, with rich notes of candied almonds, dried apricots, dried citrus fruits, candied grapefruit peel and an herbal top note all jumping from the glass. In the mouth the sumptuous fruit is supported by generous acidity and complemented by an almond brittle edge. 1995 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Priced from $59.99 This is classic California Cabernet; quite ripe but retaining the herbal element that gives it such a complex bouquet. Already there is a lot of fine detail on the palate with a subtle, savory complexity of herbs, roast meat, and boysenberries that emerges on the long finish. This is delicious.    (hide)

  From the article The Mondavi Story Continues with Robert

  
  

• February 2010

  Charles - the flaw is in your basic assumption that air goes through the cork and that this is what "ages" wine. That's not actually the case. Think about it. Some wines have capsules. Some have wax coverings. Do those allow air exchange? Can air really get in if the cork is... Read moreCharles - the flaw is in your basic assumption that air goes through the cork and that this is what "ages" wine. That's not actually the case. Think about it. Some wines have capsules. Some have wax coverings. Do those allow air exchange? Can air really get in if the cork is covered with a capsule? Cork is wood. Each piece is different. You can get a statistical average and a likelihood of air exchange, but you can't state with certainty which specific cork will work in which way. They also come in different sizes. The best corks have been shown to allow almost no air exchange. However, there are wild variations in cork so it's essentially random. Oxygen and air are the enemies of wine for the most part. You don't want them to enter the bottle. And to prevent the oxygen from having a negative effect on the wine, most winemakers add a bit of sulfur. That, plus the sulfur already in the wine, bind up the oxygen. So an important consideration is the amount of free sulfur and free SO2 in the wine at bottling. Because oxygen levels are entirely unpredictable, the winemakers have for a few centuries added enough sulfur to eliminate the possibility of too much oxygen transmission. And that accounts largely for the reduction in wines under screwcaps. If you use the same sulfur treatment as you did with cork but you have no need for it, the sulfur stinks. So winemakers need to use less sulfur under screwcaps than under cork. However, remember the other variable - the free oxygen in the wine due to bottling. The fact is that nobody can detail every change in wine as it ages. But one thing they know is that the amount of oxygen in the wine bottle varies considerably. In wine bottled on vacuum lines, you can have say, 0.6 parts per million. In wine bottled by hand, you have maybe 4.4 ppm. That oxygen is in the wine no matter what kind of closure you use. When people didn't know about this, they didn't think about it. Now they know, so they have to think about it. Of course, the more knowledge, the less likely you are to be a "natural" winemaker, but that's my side issue. You need some oxygen for the fermentation so the yeast and bacteria can do their work. Once they're done, you want much less oxygen. This is where things get interesting. One reason given for the long lives of old Spanish Riojas for example, is the fact that they spend so much time in wood, which gives them micro-oxygenation for several years. Too much oxygen gives the wine an "oxidized" flavor and in fact, you can detect that in some older Rioja. Today, people use techniques like micro-oxygenation and bubble a tiny bit of oxygen in the wine while it's in tanks and they're accused of "manipulating" the wine or "hiding" the terroir. Mostly I think the people making those claims have no idea what they're talking about. In fact, the winemakers are only doing what was always done but in a more controlled way. However, even they aren't really in control - it's all guesswork at this point because nobody knows exactly how much oxygen to provide, whereas we have some experience with the barrel aging. Then the idea of tannin polymerization is an issue, at least in aging reds. Wine is acidic and that environment affects the polymerization of tannins. As they link up, they become heavy and drop to the bottom of the wine as sediment. Interestingly, the same environment causes de-polymerization of tannins. So we have another variable to contend with because clearly the pH of the wine affects things. That specific reaction may be independent of oxygen, but it's also affected by oxygen if there's some around. That also leads to the issue of color. In red wine, the color comes from anthocyanins and other compounds. The anthocyanins are from the skins and oxygen really affects what happens here. The juice starts out deep purple and as wine ages, becomes more red. With no air, the red color develops fast but it's not stable. With some oxygen, it's stable, and with too much, you lose color. So what happens? Color researchers found that anthocyanins link with tannins and there are several catalyzing agents, including oxygen, but also including compounds like the aldehydes found in oak. But if you've got those, you don't want additional oxygen too or you end up with those oxidized, brown wines. And remember that temperature affects the rate of all the reactions. So at higher temps, you may accelerate reactions that are undesirable to the point that they surpass the desired changes, and you end up with a wine that aged before it ever really matured. In white wines, it's just as complicated. They turn brown. Why? I wish someone could explain that to me. All I've been able to come up with is that it's partly due to caramelization of sugars, breakdown of sugars and other compounds into more volatile compounds, Maillard reactions, which are basically reactions between proteins and sugars but which some people say are not possible because they need heat, and oxidation, or "rust". The point is that there are many many reactions happening, and they're not due to oxygen transmission through the cork, although an imperfect closure that allows oxygen transmission will affect them. The French in Bordeaux have confirmed that some oxygen transmission is through the cork, but it's in ranges and it's unpredictable. You might note that the transmission rate is the same whether bottles are on their sides or upright. In addition, the Australians have many years of research on alternate closures. They've been working with them for over 20 years. Once again, unencumbered by silly traditions and fears, they lead the world. There is no reason on earth that a wine can't age gracefully and perfectly under screw caps. For my own personal opinion, I think the continued use of cork is due to simple idiocy. We measure the sugar, protein, and acidity levels of our grapes, we control the fermentation temperatures, we use stainless steel tanks, we clean and disinfect our bottles and lines, we can measure dissolved oxygen and sulfur and nitrogen, and we put our "unmanipulated" and "natural" wine in wine coolers to keep them at the correct temp until we're ready to drink them. All of this is based on what we have learned over the years. I.e., science. We've incorporated modern technology at every step, even to the point of having a specific glass for a specific wine. Then we draw a line in the sand and throw everything to the dogs. We keep corks based on tradition and fear and idiotic devotion to some notion that a closure deserves reverence! I don't know - pulling out a cork is about as romantic as unwrapping a new package of gym socks. Anyway, here's some more to read: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/84/8418sci1.html    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic How can a wine 'age' under a... by GregT

  
  

• February 2010

  Well, here's something I wrote a long time ago to explain "cheap" wine and maybe it's a good place to begin. Start with the cost of goods. If your family has owned its land for many generations and has no mortgage on the property and knows how to grow grapes, your costs are lower... Read moreWell, here's something I wrote a long time ago to explain "cheap" wine and maybe it's a good place to begin. Start with the cost of goods. If your family has owned its land for many generations and has no mortgage on the property and knows how to grow grapes, your costs are lower than the person who just bought in at $200,000 an acre. This is partly why some wines from Europe are still such values in the US, in spite of the Euro/dollar exchange rates. There's more. If your yields are 15 tons per acre, you get more wine from your land than the guy whose yield is 2 or 3 tons per acre. And if the 2 or 3 ton per acre grapes are harvested when they are really really ripe and have actually started to dehydrate a bit, then he is getting even less wine from his vineyard, so charges even more per ton of grapes. How big is your vineyard? How many bottles can you actually make? Are your fixed costs amortized across 100 bottles or 100,000 bottles? And did you make it yourself or did you hire a consultant for $100,000 a year or more? So we have some pricing factors now. Suppose you have a vineyard and you don't sell all of your grapes. Maybe there is a hill at one end and the grapes at that end didn't get ripe enough. You might sell off those grapes, or the juice from them. I might be in the market for some grapes/juice and if I can get a good price, I'll take yours. I'll take the juice from lots of people and blend it all together. Maybe I will ferment it to leave just a touch of residual sugar and maybe I'll store it in large tanks and I'll put some oak chips or oak planks in it to provide some of the vanilla and toasty notes that people like. So by using bargain grapes (NOT to mean bad quality grapes) and some oak chips, I can produce a wine that people will like. Just as an aside, barrels are overwhelmingly made from oak and they are often toasted - you tell them if you want them toasted and how much. If you don't want any, you just use the barrel made of raw wood. Or they start a fire in the barrel and let it burn. It can go to light toast to actually charring the inside of the barrel until it's like charcoal. That char is what gives some wines a characteristic toasted marshmallow and coconut flavor, and sometimes a smoky one. Finally, when the wine is finished, it might seem "flabby", so you might add some acid. In warm climates, it is very common to acidify wine - California acidifies, so does Australia. In cooler climates where the grapes don't ripen as easily, they often add a bit of sugar, not to make the wine sweet, but because the grapes may not have enough natural sugar for the yeasts to ferment. This is called Chaptalization, named for a French man named Chaptal and of course that is legal in Burgundy and Bordeaux. You think you're tasting something special about the land, and you are, except that some of that taste of the land may be Cuba. Now we can talk about "cheap" wine. Everyone has his or her own definition. For me, it means that the price is low for the quality. So a $40 wine can be cheap if the quality is extraordinary. But we can start at the low end of prices. A wine like Two Buck Chuck, for example, is made of grapes that were purchased from a number of people and which were grown in any number of areas. The point of those wines is to produce a consistent product from year to year. Thus, if it is not as ripe a year, we might add some sugar, if it is very ripe, we will acidify, we will maintain the tannins, the alcohol, pretty much everything we can from year to year. YellowTail for instance, was designed by the importer - essentially a recipe was provided and the wine made specifically for the US market. It would be comparable to MacDonald's fries and burgers - the quality is known and constant. This is not to disparage it at all. Many marketers are similar. Gallo for example, has a huge presence and they also have a number of different labels or brands, which is a very smart move for obtaining shelf space. Where you find "cheap" wine here is easy - you go to the store with the best price. The wine is easy to find, there is a lot of it, and it's sold like any other product, on price. That wine will enjoy serious economies of scale and can be sold like a standardized commodity, which in fact it is. Of course, that is precisely what turns some people off. It doesn't mean they're right or wrong. But just as some people never go into fast food restaurants and some do, so it is with wine. Thus, moving up a notch or two, you might find a wine where the producer buys from growers or owns his own land. But this winemaker will not be buying on the open market, rather he will have worked with the grape growers through the summer and will have long term contracts with them. He will vinify the juice and make the best wine he can each year, but he will accept that each year is different and consequently his wine will vary from year to year. This is the traditional model in parts of Spain for example, or France, and now in some places in the US, Argentina, Australia, etc. At this level, it is possible to find pretty good wine that is not overly expensive. On a personal note, this is where I start to look for "cheap" wine. Where you find "cheap" wine here is by looking for wineries who have long-standing relations with their grape producers, as they do in Spain and parts of France and Italy, or where they have developed these relationships for the same purposes, as for example, some producers have in Argentina, California or Washington. Moving up, the producer can own its own land and manage it's own vineyards. In Europe, there are often restrictions on the yields allowed from the vineyards - they believe that lower yields result in better juice. But even where regulations do not exist, winemakers often voluntarily reduce yields. Partly for the same reason and partly to keep their prices up. Yield management is interesting and I am far from certain that yields per acre are a good proxy for quality. The idea is to make the vine struggle. You almost want it to think it is going to die, for then it spends all of its energy producing fruit. If you don't provide sufficient water for example, but you don't go so far as to dehydrate the vine, you can concentrate the juice. That's why when they have a rainy year and especially a rainy harvest in a winemaking area, the vintage is usually considered a bad vintage. Planting density is another way of making the vine struggle. High density planting can make each vine fight for limited nutrients. And poor soil is another way - some vineyards are basically rocks and you wonder how anything can grow there. If the vine struggles so much that it gives you only very small grapes and only a few bunches per vine, and the area has warm days and cool or even cold nights through harvest, you might just have really good wine grapes. You might be able to start demanding a pretty good price for your wine, particularly if you have a famous critic give it a good score, or if you have built up a reputation over many years. This is perhaps the situation in places like Chateauneuf du Pape (CdP). Where you find "cheap" wine here is by looking at places that are close to CdP, but do not have the CdP name. Now let's say you ferment your grapes and put the wine into barrels. Say the barrels hold 225 liters of wine and cost around $800. Let's also say that you paid a lot of money to buy your vineyard because that is not the business you grew up in. Let's also say you hired a very expensive consultant to tell you how to make your wine. And let's say that you want the same respect that your neighbors have, which is why you wanted to get into the business anyway. This is what is happening in Napa today. Now, do you pay 35 cents for a cork or $2? Do you pay $1 for an empty bottle or $5 for something fancy? Do you hire an expensive artist/designer for your label or let your daughter design it? Do you buy your grapes from an expensive vineyard in Napa or from somewhere in Santa Barbara, or the equivalent elsewhere? Where you find "cheap" wine in Napa is by avoiding the newest producers. They simply cannot open a new winery and produce "cheap" wine, and nobody is interested in doing so either. So look to producers who have been there for 20 years or longer. Where you find "cheap" wine in the rest of CA is very often by avoiding Napa and seeking out good producers in less prestigious areas. But there are other reasons for high prices. In Burgundy, they have very different types of soil in very close proximity to each other. Burgundy is not unique in this of course, but if you look at the flat plains of Kansas and Nebraska, it is apparent that they have similar soil for many miles. Everyone has seen different layers of soil. When you have a hilly or mountainous region, the earth gets folded and sometimes the layers get flipped so that they are like standing a sandwich on its edge. So you might have had an ancient sea that was covered by lava that was covered by sand and then when they get flipped ninety degrees, you have three different soil types next to each other. My explanation is simplistic, but the point is that wine lovers want to pretend that they can taste, and claim that they can taste, the difference in wine from the different soils. As a result, in Burgundy a grower might have only a few rows of vines and his neighbor a few rows, and they will produce very little wine that is in great demand so their prices will be very high. Where you find "cheap" wine here is by avoiding the vineyards that have been given the top rankings, but the year was good and the wine is made with careful attention. Note that this is precisely the opposite of the winemaking we started with, where a grower buys grapes from all over and blends them to get consistency and sell cheaply. In Burgundy, one is as far away as one can be from that philosophy and people are willing to pay tremendous sums of money for the uniqueness of the soil, the vintage, and the winemaker. Bordeaux on the other hand is unique in the wine world. They price very much based on what their neighbors are charging and on what the prices were last year and on what they think the market will bear. In the world of wine, their prices might have the least relation to their costs, at least for the classified growths. Where you find "cheap" wine is either by being a billionaire so you can pay for a case of Haut Brion without blinking, or by buying from the chateaus that might not have the biggest names but that are neighboring, or that have recently been overhauled and are trying to establish a reputation. There are many many other things that one could discuss and this is not even a surface scratch. But think of bread. We can go to the supermarket and buy bread in a plastic bag. We can also go to the little lady in the town in the hills who grows her own wheat, mills it, and makes bread out of that using wild yeasts in the air. And finally, how much you pay for a bottle need not reflect any of the direct costs. In Bordeaux for example, estimates are that it's maybe $14 or so to produce a bottle of wine that sells for hundreds. Remember that at some point wine becomes a Veblen good. You don't buy it because it's worth the money in an objective sense. If you were to do that, you'd taste blind and then buy the wine you liked most. But people pay serious money for wines that will impress their friends and neighbors. And nothing impresses like a brand name that costs several hundred or thousands of dollars a bottle. http://www.bergmanvineyards.com/glswn.html    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic @ Gregory Dal-Piaz: What... by GregT

  
  

• February 2010

  This is a great overview. As a Doctor of Pharmacy, I thought this would be easier to find out but it is not as you have stated. I suffer from true migraines from certain wines, both red and white. Some, I cannot make it through a glass before the headache begins. My research has... Read moreThis is a great overview. As a Doctor of Pharmacy, I thought this would be easier to find out but it is not as you have stated. I suffer from true migraines from certain wines, both red and white. Some, I cannot make it through a glass before the headache begins. My research has yielded the following to help. Sufferers can benefit from French and Italian wines. Their fermentation differs from that of US producers and is often regulated. Fermentation and aging must usually occur in the barrel, vs US where fermentation can occur in stainless steel vats using cheap american oak "tea bags". I can guarantee a headache with most American Chard's but have never had one from a French Burgundy. Coincidence, most likely not. Additionally, Pinot Nior's are a good choice. SO - my suggestion - if you are prone to TWH, try a French or Italian wine. You may be pleasantly surprised. If that fails an aspirin tablet or two taken about an hour before consumption can significantly help. This works on multiple pathways and may be an option for some. I would only do this occasionally, as the combination can irritate the stomach. Thanks for your post.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic An Exposé: The Wine Headache by rxalongo

  
  
• 

  January 2010

  Forest Glen Shiraz Oak Barrel Selection 2003

  Snoothrank: Starting at $10^.39

  For me a typical California wine, big strong smoky flavor and alchohol present. Soft tannins, could be good complement for soft cheeses, would recommend more as an apperitif than main dish wine.

  Wine review by dirkwdeyoung

  
  

• January 2010

  Caroprese33 - Gantt made a good effort. I'll see if I can help. 1. See Gantt's answer except that there is no reason at all the comment regarding the old world would not apply to the new world. Soil doesn't change in either hemisphere. Otherwise, key factor is weather. 2a. Key... Read moreCaroprese33 - Gantt made a good effort. I'll see if I can help. 1. See Gantt's answer except that there is no reason at all the comment regarding the old world would not apply to the new world. Soil doesn't change in either hemisphere. Otherwise, key factor is weather. 2a. Key varietals - are actually "varieties". People use the word wrong all the time but "varietal" is an adjective, not a noun. You have varieties of grapes, or grape varieties. (I'm not picking on you. It's commonly used incorrectly, but you said you wanted to be an educated wine drinker.) Other than that, the answer is that there are no "key" varieties in a general sense, so you have to define what you mean by that term. If you go by the acreage planted worldwide, probably the most important red is garnacha, also known as grenache. The most widely planted white is arien. If you go by popularity in California, the most widely planted red grape until recently was something like colombard. There was a lot of carignan planted too. Then when wine became chic for Americans in the 1970s, zinfandel led the way in red grapes until sometime in the late 1990s. If you look at what people drink, you have a different definition of "key". For example, I drink hardly any pinot noir ever, so that's not key for me. However, I drink a lot of tempranillo, so that's key. If you drink a lot of Italian wine, or Spanish wine, or wine from the Rhone Valley in France, you're not going to come across a lot of merlot. You may find some, but it's much more important or key in places like Bordeaux, much of California and Washington, Chile, and Hungary and a few other places. There is a large French influence on the wine industry in CA, so the varieties Gantt listed are grown there, but if the industry were starting today, I'm willing to bet there'd be a lot more Italian grapes grown. But because of the French influence in the US, people know the French grapes. In Australia, garnacha was the most widely planted red grape until they ripped so much up. That's of course Spanish, and they replaced it with syrah, which is French. And that answers the second part - where they come from. Mostly where grapes are grown in Europe is a result of accident and politics. In South America, that's less the case. Grapes were brought by conquerors who brought what they knew, but more recently they were planted by businessmen who will plant whatever they think they can sell. In the US, Australia, South Africa, it's a matter of initially trying to copy certain regions in Europe and now more of an effort to find what will grow where and sell best. So there is a lot more flux in where things go because there aren't as many laws to restrict what you can do. 2. What goes into the wine at fermentation, is generally yeast. In places like Burgundy, sugar. After fermentation there are different things that may go in. Maybe acid. Maybe water. Oxygen. If it is fined with egg whites or bentonite, then those things. Some people add powder to make the wine darker. Some add flavorings. Some add powdered tannin. Sulfites occur naturally. Some people add additional sulfur to prevent oxidation. There's also stuff from the air - bacteria for example. 3 - How many grapes for a barrel - depends on the grapes and the grower and the vintage. Check this out: http://www.napanow.com/wine.statistics.html Wine from a single variety is a monovarietal wine 4. A blend successful - Gantt is spot on. The purpose of a blend isnt' just for its own sake. It's to make a better wine. If your garnacha isn't tannic enough, maybe you add some monastrell or cab or something. 5. Gantt is spot on again. The rule came from the idea that you don't want to overpower one or the other. Trout with a woody cabernet sauvignon? Maybe not. But if it's what you like, then go for it. I do. 6. Economics - what goes into the price is whatever goes into any price. Part of it is cost. Part is handling. Part is marketing. A wine that costs less than $20 to produce, like most Bordeaux, may go for hundreds of dollars. The wineries price them like that because they know you'll buy them. Another wine that costs $20 may go for $20 because people can't sell it. As a general rule, figure in the US an imported wine is on the retail shelf at three to four times what it cost at the cellar, depending on how many people had to handle it. Look at the chart I linked to. Figure how many bottles you get from a barrel. A barrel costs nearly $1000 these days if it's French oak from an excellent cooper. You don't put cheap grapes in that. In CA you may pay $4000 - $5000 a ton for top cab. Elsewhere you can get it for much less. Winemakers have absolutely no way to judge demand before making the wine, but they can judge demand before a bottle is released by the demand from their distributors, importers, and press. if they had great press and people pounding on their doors, they may raise their bottle price. This is not the case for most wine producers however, and they make the product based on hope. 7. Key terms for taste are whatever you use to describe any taste. Wine is no different. Drink a cup of coffee. How do you describe it other than to say "coffee"? Same thing. Also keep in mind that 90 pct of what people write about their flavor discoveries is pretty much nonsense. If you drink a lot of wine, you eventually meet people who claim to taste a million different things in the glass you're having. But can they identify that wine a week later, even after all those detailed descriptions that seemed so precise? Most of the time the answer is no.    (hide)

  Forum post in the topic Questions to Help Beginners by GregT

  
  

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