Tag Archives: fine wine

June 13, 2014 · 6:13 PM

2003 Rubicon Estate Cabernet Franc, Estate Reserve

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Rubicon Estate Cabernet Franc, Estate Reserve

California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

Wine Tasting Note:

Fine example of a 100% Cab Franc produced to age. Decanted for 30 mins. – brought out more fruit. The nose is fruit forward with plum, blackberry, jammy strawberry, leather, wet earth and a bit of funk. The texture is heavier bodied, coats the tongue and is very soft. High acidity, with soft tannins that are still very present. The nose is much more complex than the palate. The palate has black currant, plum and a bit of prune (showing its age) out front. Not much of a mid-palate, although a long finish of bitter dark chocolate. I would have preferred more complexity, but the rating was influenced more by the balance, soft – but very present tannins, and a good structure that held-up over the years. I enjoyed the bright acidity, even if the fruit is losing its freshness. Probably a year, or two past its prime, but still very nice.

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June 1, 2014 · 6:58 PM

2010 Justin Syrah

258589

Justin Syrah

California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

Wine Tasting Note:

Nose is complex, if a bit shy. The red fruit comes through – mostly raspberry and a bit of strawberry. There is a wonderful touch of wet earthy funk and a little butterscotch. The texture is very elegant. Not too heavy, more middle of the road… but very silky. Medium acidity and medium tannins. The alcohol is only slightly noticeable. Nice balance overall. The palate is fruit forward with black fruits: currant, blackberry, plum with some black raspberry peaking through. Mid-palate includes a touch of butter and vanilla and then a long finish of dark chocolate. The fruit overwhelms the structure, offering the impression of a more simple profile on the palate. Not a one-dimensional wine, but not particularly complex either. The spiciness I enjoy with most Syrahs is missing.

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May 10, 2014 · 10:42 PM

2007 Inman Family Pinot Noir Olivet Grange Vineyard

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Inman Family Pinot Noir Olivet Grange Vineyard

California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

Wine Tasting Note:

The 2006 was a prettier vintage. It was a bit more fruit forward and a little more balanced, but this is still a wonderful effort. The nose has aromas of sour black cherries, dark chocolate, minerality and a minor floral note. The color has picked up a brownish tinge showing some age and the freshness is gone, but the palate is still showing strong acidity – making the wine still very lively in the mouth. The tannins are very subdued and the alcohol is very well integrated. The texture is gorgeous – very soft and pleasant. More old world style, focusing on balance and complexity, but not quite hitting the mark. The fruit is in front but subtle, moving to a mid-palate with vanilla, oak, leather and some mineral aspects with a medium-long finish of bitter chocolate. I enjoyed this California Pinot that didn’t follow the crowd.

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April 25, 2014 · 6:40 PM

Chappellet Vineyards and Sonoma Loeb Tasting Streamed to 45 Total Wine Stores

Chappellet Live! A Virtual Tasting from Napa Valley’s Pritchard Hill

Saturday, April 19, 2014
Tempe, AZ

Featured Wines:
Sonoma Loeb Chardonnay Reserve – $29.99
Sonoma Loeb Chardonnay Envoy – $39.99
Sonoma Loeb Sonoma Pinot Noir – $24.99
Sonoma Loeb Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Reserve – $39.99
Chappellet Napa Chardonnay – $34.99
Chappellet Cervantes Mountain Cuvee – $34.99
Chappellet Napa Signature Cabernet – $49.99
2008 Chappellet Pritchard Hill Cabernet – $119.99

WINE EVENT INTRODUCTION

Fabulous idea! This is a great way for a medium size winery (under 40K cases?) to reach a broad audience. Technology provides opportunities, if we know how to leverage it. Unfortunately, the technology had its challenges. The audio had a terrible echo, which could have been eliminated by muting all the sites other than the point of origin. The message was a bit scattered, but the mother of the host family was awesome! She was interesting enough to host her own wine talk show… all in all, for a first effort at internet marketing – a gallant one, and they will get better over time. Keep it up guys! Good Luck!

WINE FLIGHT #1 – WHITE WINES (3 NOTES)

I liked the lower cost Sonoma Loeb on its own, but the Chappellet chard would be best accompanying food.

  • 2012 Chappellet Vineyard Chardonnay

USA, California, Napa Valley

This was a VERY traditional Napa style chardonnay specifically made for accompanying food. The color was a very pale straw and extremely clear. The nose was very weak, but bright, with notes of grapefruit, lemon curd and oak. The palate was a touch sweet, light-bodied with very high acidity. The flavors on the palate matched the nose with a short finish. This is not an easy drinking aperitif. It would be much better with a nice seafood, or pork dish.

  • 2012 Sonoma-Loeb Chardonnay Private Reserve Carneros

USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

This is an attempt at a classic Burgundian oaked chardonnay. Very weak nose, showing nail polish initially, then aromas of lemon curd, vanilla and oak. Medium bodied and very dry with high acidity. Palate was soft, but had a minimum of depth to the flavors. I sort of enjoyed this for an easy drinking chard at a wine bar kind of beverage. It resides somewhere between a food wine and an aperitif. Over-priced at $30/btl, but decent enough.

  • 2011 Sonoma-Loeb Chardonnay Envoy

USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Russian River Valley

The winemaker tried so hard here, but missed the mark. I guess if you were looking for a Rombauer chard you might find this appealing, but they do over-the-top chards much better. Big nose of lemon curd, butterscotch and pineapple with a strong presence of oak. There is some minerality, but it does not come through to the palate. The wine coats the mouth with rich textures. The palate simply brings the nose through with no mid-palate and there is a medium finish of pineapple. Only medium acidity… so food pairing options would be limited. There is too much oak and the freshness is lost because of it. I didn’t care for this wine.

WINE FLIGHT #2 – RED WINES (5 NOTES)

Regarding the Pinot Noir, the lower priced Sonoma Loeb again was superior to the higher-priced wine. Of Cab Sauv and blends, the Pritchard Hill Cab stood out by far as superior, but at $120/btl… my goodness!

  • 2011 Sonoma-Loeb Pinot Noir

USA, California, Sonoma County

The nose is full of cherry cough syrup, browned butter, oak and medicinal overtones. High acidity and medium tannins provide a fair amount of structure. The texture is very light. The palate is full of red cherry and oak. It also has a smokey flavor with a light spice character. This is too fruity and the oak is not integrated. There is enough structure and complexity present to elevate it a bit.

  • 2012 Sonoma-Loeb Pinot Noir

USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

A strong oak character. The nose is full of sweet red cherry, butter and oak. The acidity is very high with low tannins. Not very well balanced. The texture is very light. This could have been very good with more freshness to the fruit. On its own, the acidity bites… but paired with the right foods, this wine would be awesome. The flavor profile is a bit simple.

  • 2011 Chappellet Vineyard Cervantes Mountain Cuvee

USA, California, Napa Valley

Powerful nose of alcohol that did not blow off dominates. This is a light bodied wine, with high acidity and high tannins. Good structure with reasonable balance. The palate is fruit forward with sweet cherry and black raspberry moving to a mid-palate of bitter dark chocolate and a long slightly bitter finish with earthy undertones. This would be a very good table wine, pairing well with richer food dishes, but I would expect it to cost under $30/btl.

  • 2011 Chappellet Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Signature Reserve

USA, California, Napa Valley

Very dark extracted looking wine with an intense nose of alcohol, plum and blackberry. High acidity and high tannins – very young. This has a light mouth-feel, offering more of a food wine approach. The palate is fruit forward with sweet plum, blackberry and white pepper. The fruit is very concentrated. The mid-palate brings in oak and toffee and then finishes with vanilla. A middle of the road Napa cab.

  • 2008 Chappellet Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard

USA, California, Napa Valley

A beautiful wine. The nose is full of rich black plum with a pretty floral character, moving to menthol and alcohol. High acidity and high tannins with a nice mouth-feel. The palate is fruit forward with extracted plum and blackberry with a mid-palate of tobacco, tar, oak and vanilla. The finish is long with a mildly bitter dark chocolate flavor. This wine is balanced and has good structure, but it is still young and would benefit from another 3-5 years in the bottle.

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April 19, 2014 · 8:28 PM

On The New Wine Trail… Uruguay?

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2009 Pisano Tannat RPF

Uruguay, Coastal Region

Wine Tasting Note:

The fourth 100% Tannat I have tasted… been trying to find this varietal from a Uruguay producer – where its new world home is located. Tannat seems to stand up well to the new world approach and fit my palate. The French Madiran version has been a bit too stark and austere for me. This wine has a bold nose, promising a highly extracted flavor profile. The nose is complex, with currant, plum, a very distinct tar note, caramelized butter and finishing with floral and vanilla notes. The acidity is high, with the characteristic very high tannins, but not the biting kind. They coat the mouth softly with astringency. The wine is textured and fills the mouth. The oak is reasonably well integrated, but noticeable. On the palate, it is fruit forward with all the black fruits: currant, blackberry, plum – then moving to tar and vanilla. The mid-palate is full of sweet dark chocolate, finishing with a pleasant bitterness that lasts a very long time. The alcohol is very well integrated at 13.5%. This wine is a bit more manipulated than I would prefer, but I like it anyway! 3-5 years in the cellar would calm the tannins a bit, but for me… it is approachable now, especially if it were accompanying red meat. Sometimes, you just want to be hit over the head by a wine. For those times, wanting a naturally big, textured, fruit-forward tannic wine, this is your ticket. Excuse me, it’s time to begin my wine journey through Uruguay…

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April 6, 2014 · 8:11 PM

2010 Herman Story Grenache Late Bloomer

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Herman Story Grenache Late Bloomer

California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

Wine Tasting Note:

After 1 hour decant. Nose is still strong with alcohol… at 15.8%, seems predictable. The nose is full of strawberry preserves and perfumed flowers, with trailing notes of forest floor. The palate is well integrated, making the high alcohol content hardly noticeable. Very high acidity and medium high tannins. This wine has structure… and its 100% Grenache? Much lighter than the Herman Story Syrahs and GSM’s, but by no means a simple wine. The texture is soft, but fills your mouth. The fruit flavors are in front, with the strawberry preserves dominating and some black cherry. The mid-palate is complex with tobacco and mocha flavors. The wine has a long finish with mouth-drying tannins, mocha and red-fruit flavors lasting on the palate. This is an impressive 100% Grenache. Herman Story always manages to get the most from his fruit. Rather than a simple easy-drinking fruity Grenache, this is a big, fruit-forward, complex wine that would be best drunk with some age, 2017-2020… I have always found it difficult to enjoy 100% Grenache – the strawberry flavors are better in a blended wine, but this is exceptional. The best 100% Grenache I have tasted.

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March 23, 2014 · 10:57 AM

1969 Chateau Potensac

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Chateau Potensac

France, Bordeaux, Medoc

Wine Tasting Note:

This was just a bit of fun… bought this at auction a while back. Wasn’t expecting much, but it was an opportunity to see what 45 years would do to a decent wine. Opened this at a party last night. As expected, the cork was a challenge. The first pour had a nose of barnyard and must and the initial taste was thin, a bit oxidized and closed… but, if you can believe it, this ol’ gal still had enough structure to require time to open up. After an hour, a nose of sour red cherry began peeking out. The tannins were still very present and it had good acidity. Several of our guests tasted the wine and were not particularly impressed, but some had a background with French wine and understood it well enough to appreciate what it was. We added a cheese plate to the tasting and it handled the cheese well. So, now it’s the next day. I let the bottle sit on the kitchen counter and amazingly – it is still holding up! It is too watery, the fruit is almost gone and it is a touch oxidized, but all-in-all… a surprisingly decent wine after 45 years.

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March 22, 2014 · 4:14 PM

2008 L’Aventure Cote-a-Cote Estate

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L’Aventure Cote-a-Cote Estate

California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

Wine Tasting Note:

When you pour, the aromas waft from the decanter, providing a glimpse of the big, fruit-forward wine to come. The nose is full of spicy plum and blackberry, vanilla and oak, with a little funk. The 15.9% alcohol is so well integrated, it is barely noticeable and comes across as a light menthol character. The palate is dominated by the Syrah and Mourvedre – the Grenache is nowhere to be found. The texture is big and chewy, but is still a baby next to the Estate Cuvee. The acidity is medium-high and the tannins have moderated somewhat with bottle-age, but are a solid medium-high – although very refined. There are layers to the aromas/flavors… a hint of sweet blueberry in front, moving to plum, blackberry and spice. The mid-palate picks up the vanilla and oak and the wine has a medium-long finish of dark chocolate that is not overly bitter. This wine attempts the perfect balance of a soft feminine character, with a masculine big, bold style. This wine could age another 5-10 years, easily. L’Aventure is the master of the new world Rhone blend!

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March 16, 2014 · 12:32 PM

A Wine-O Walks into a Bar, and…

Wine Bar in Italy

One day last year, my wife and I walked into a wine bar in Castello di Bolgheri, Italy (OMG, this sounds like the beginning of a joke!). They had 20 wines in a commercial dispensing system… Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Le Macchiole, Sapaio, Grattamacco, Ca’ Marcanda and more (pardon mixing my wines/producers) and I blew a boatload of cash sampling higher priced, older vintage, hard to get wines in 2 oz. pours. Never saw such an impressive selection of wines BTG in my life! I will remember the fun we had that night for many years!

Wine Bars and the U.S.

Could this wine bar concept be successful in the U.S.? Let me throw this out there… could providing wine education and then exposure to these kind of exquisite wines from all over the world be successful? Obviously, the demographics of the area would be a huge factor, but assuming you were located in a high-income area… could it make business sense, or would it be a disaster? Definitely – paired tapas and the right atmosphere would be a must.

A Passion for Wine and Curiosity

In my case, I am always curious about ultra-premium wines. Frankly, it is fun trying to determine if the value makes sense, or the price point is bogus. In the process, you always run across an amazing gem, like we did that night. Although generally, I am not up for spending big money on a full night of it. In this case, my wife and I were on vacation and we decided it would be fun to treat ourselves to the experience. Are we the only couple with disposable income that feels that way? Would the location have to be a tourist wine destination like downtown Napa, CA? Will the new Coravin wine preservation system provide the method for making this concept work?

Which Wine Experience Are You Looking For?

Being of entrepeneurial spirit, I try to guess at the different kinds of consumers that make up the marketplace. When you choose to drink wine at a bar, or restaurant, what most influences your selection?

1) pair with food 2) price 3) value 4) broad appeal for the entire party 5) explore new wines 6) the old dependable 7) hunt for exceptional quality 8) try multiple wines and a diverse experience

Is seeking out an exceptional wine value on your radar, or like many believe… are you just looking for a passable wine at the right price? Many in the industry have the view that people are just happy to be out enjoying a good time with friends…

$700 USD/btl for Harlan Estate Cab? Really?

Here are a few lines from a recent wine auction. Sorry, vintage dates are missing, but you get the point. $75+ for a 2 oz. taste of wine? I don’t think many would be curious enough, although I have watched people pay that for a shot of utra-premium tequila…

Harlan Estate, Napa Valley, USA – $709
Schrader Cellars Old Sparky Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA – $624
Caymus Vineyards Grace Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, USA – $617

How about $25+ for a taste of these wines?

Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, St Helena, USA – $182
Dominus Estate Christian Moueix, Napa Valley, USA – $180
Bevan Cellars ‘Oscar’ Sugarloaf Mountain Proprietary Red, Napa Valley, USA – $180

Or these?

Chateau Montrose, Saint-Estephe, France – $192
Chateau Haut-Brion Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, Pessac-Leognan, France – $192
Chateau Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, France – $188

At some point, you become saturated with high-priced offerings beyond your budget. Occasionally, I stop and think about all the buyers out there spending this kind of money on wine. Sometimes… I just can’t get my head around the wealth that must be out there.

Wine Bars in My Area

Don’t know about you, but I look for decent food and ambiance with great value wines in the low, mid and higher priced categories. Sometimes, you are out on a special occasion and want to splurge. Having craft beer on tap too is a plus, for the times when a beer just sounds right. Unfortunately, this ideal place does not exist within 20 miles of my home and has me wishing… and hoping, the next new entrepeneur will take the risk and get it right.

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March 8, 2014 · 3:46 PM

2011 Dona Paula Estate Malbec

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Dona Paula Estate Malbec

Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo

Wine Tasting Note:

This is not a refined wine. New World style all the way. So if that is not your thing, please move on! Rich, fruity nose of blackberry, plum, black currant. Also, some oak, spice, leather and a touch of herbal spearmint. A bit of alcohol comes through too, but is not overwhelming. The palate is very fruit forward. All those black fruits hit you over the head right out the gate. Nice medium-high acidity, with a medium-low touch of tannins. Not enough structure for a premium wine, but just enough to please. The mid-palate is full of leather and spice notes and the medium length finish coats the mouth with sweet vanilla, oak and black fruit. This wine is silky-soft and dense. The value is good and the wine is much of what I would expect an Argentine Malbec to be. A bit too manipulated for me, but consistent with this style.

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