Tag Archives: wine tasting notes

July 12, 2014 · 6:37 PM

Ballard Canyon AVA – New World Syrah Country!

More Great Central Coast Rhone Wines: Ballard Canyon Region (AVA)

Panel Tasting at the 2014 U.S. Wine Bloggers Conference

Flowers in Your Syrah?

Floral Syrah usually means added Viognier. This is a traditional practice in Northern Rhone wines. Too much… and the winemaker can create a style that will overpower much of the Syrah character. Several of the wines reviewed here have a very noticeable inclusion of the Viognier flavor profile, for those of you that prefer this style, take note of those mentioned below.

2012 Vintage Wines

2012 Kimsey Syrah

Nose full of floral Viognier. Palate is of bitter chocolate, light black pepper, medium-high tannins with high acidity. Very simple wine profile. The wine is not fruit forward and has a long bitter finish.

2012 Beckmen La Purisima Moutnain Syrah

Nose of butter, black fruits and nail polish. The palate has sweet black plum and blackberry with a mid-palate of dark chocolate. High tannins and medium-high acidity. Good structure. If the idea is to lay this down, there may not be enough fruit to wait out the resolution of the tannins.

2012 Stolpman Vineyards Originals Syrah

Nose is cloyingly sweet, sugary and very floral.  The palate is of violets, black fruit and a sweet syrup. A better balance could have been struck here. I prefer a different style of Syrah and Stolpman usually produces wines with a more balanced style. If you are a fan of the big, extracted Australian Shiraz style, this will be a favorite.

2012 Rusack Reserve Syrah

Nose of strong black fruits. The palate followed the nose with the characteristic plum, blackberry and white pepper. A VERY pure, fresh profile. Quite elegant and balanced. Medium finish of slightly bitter dark chocolate. Medium-high tannins with medium-high acidity. Good balance and structure. Well composed for aging.

2010 Vintage Wines

2010 Harrison Clarke Cuvee Charlotte Syrah

Nose is very chocolate with plum, blackberry and leather. The fruit aromas are strong with some interesting added  forest floor. The palate reflects the fruit on the nose with some added butter and oak. The wine was very thick and extracted, coating your mouth. Specifically, grainy tannins that will need time to soften, but I have seen this kind of character develop into a very velvety mouth-feel over time. I would love to try this wine in another three years! It may be spectacular! The most interesting of the batch with the most promise.

2010 Larner Estate Syrah

Nose is hot with sweet blackberry and plum fruit flavors. The palate was clean and fresh. I enjoyed the purity of the fruit. High tannins and high acidity. The fruit flavors followed the nose. Nice soft texture. The lack of new oak really allowed the wine to express the character of the fruit.

2010 Jonata Sangre de Jonata Syrah

Nose was floral with a bit of grape candy. The wine had a sweet fruit character that was not too overwhelming. The palate was very soft, with a light texture. The blackberry and plum fruit was in front, along with dark chocolate flavors that showed only a little bitterness.  High tannins with high acidity… this will be a beautiful silky wine on maturity. This is refined and elegant today. The most ready to drink now of all the wines tasted.

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July 10, 2014 · 4:19 PM

2008 Terra Valentine Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

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Terra Valentine Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain

A Spring Mountain AVA Story

My wife and I really appreciate the producers on Spring Mountain. If your wine nirvana is mountain grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Spring Mountain will be one of your go-to AVA’s (wine growing region). We have been meaning to try Terra Valentine for quite some time. We see their sign every time down the mountain from Pride Mountain Vineyards… On our last visit, we spoke to the family over at Schweiger and they shared the story of the Wine Growers Association’s effort to keep resort development out of the Spring Mountain area. A great story of family owned wineries who love the beauty and character of their home, trying to keep it that way. The fight prompted an agreement between the wineries to allow a last right of refusal – in case of a principal’s death, the surviving winery owners would be able to purchase the land, before a sale to an outside party. I have not been able to confirm this, but I hope it is true.

Wine Tasting Note

Fruit forward nose with black plum, blackberry, mint, cinnamon, oak and alcohol. On the palate, this has not quite come together yet. Needs another 2-3 years in the bottle to hit its stride. Good structure, high tannins and medium-high acidity… plenty of mojo for continued bottle aging. I would put the prime drinking window at 2016 – 2019. This is moving towards a silky texture and soft tannins… I will try my other bottle in a couple of years. Strong fruit forward flavors of black fruits that follow the nose. Really enjoy the mid-palate of cinammon, vanilla, leather and a touch of mint that comes through. The oak is present, but does not overpower. A bit of milk chocolate on the finish, but it is weak. Perhaps it will improve as the fruit calms down and the tannins soften. At $30/btl. this is a great wine value from Spring Mountain Estate fruit!

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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

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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 27, 2014 · 8:26 PM

Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Remole Toscana IGT

 2012 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Remole Toscana IGT

Italy, Tuscany

Tasting Note:

This is a pretty decent old world styled red. The nose is a bit shy, but has some interesting notes. Red cherry, leather, herbal character -sage? and a touch of mint. Simple on the palate… Fruit forward red cherry, but with some good structure. Tannins are grippy and there is good acidity. Some bitter dark chocolate and leather on the mid-palate. Not much of a finish though. This does not deserve some of the poor scores I have seen on the web. Maybe, a bias towards New World palates? By no means a special wine, but a decent daily drinker… Especially with food. The texture is light and the flavors are a bit simple, actually not a bad expression of a Tuscan IGT for such a reasonable price.

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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 30, 2014 · 7:53 PM

2012 Chronic Cellars Sofa King Bueno

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Chronic Cellars Sofa King Bueno

California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

Wine Tasting Note:

Doug Beckett (owner Peachy Canyon Winery) told me 5-6 years ago this will be THE trend in wine – gimicky marketing (hoping an explanation of the name is not required) with an easy drinking, accessible product. So, his son starts Chronic Cellars… I hope this is not where the industry is going. Let this open for an hour – more flavors will develop. The nose is full of strawberry jam and medicinal notes. Hinting at a heavy dose of Grenache, but the Syrah and Mourvedre come through on the palate more, with just a hint of the strawberry from the nose. Medium acidity and medium tannins. A thin texture for 32% Petite Sirah. The Mourvedre adds earthy notes and the Syrah brings out the black fruit… but as you might guess, therein lies the problem. The wine does not come together well. The individual components are easily identified – not really a good thing for a blend. This is very fruit forward and easy drinking, providing an impression of a very simple wine… even with all the different flavor components. Easy to be critical I suppose – for $17, a pretty decent value.

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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 12, 2014 · 4:00 PM

2011 Apothic Red

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Apothic Red Blend

California

Wine Tasting Note:

Finally broke-down and purchased a bottle, after a few non-collector friends raved about it. This wine is difficult to review impartially, because it resides smack in the middle between styles: neither Port, Bandol, or Southern Rhone blend. With a little commitment in one direction, it could have been so much better. NOTE: this is NOT a wine for an educated palate, or to enjoy with food. This is THE most over-oaked wine I have ever tasted, BUT the blend of varietals IS interesting. The nose is full of oak, rich/sweet vanilla, butter and black fruit. I would guess 2-3% residual sugar, extended maceration for the heavy extraction and I would bet this is aged on the lees for softness and buttery flavors. The front of the palate follows the nose adding a mid-palate of sweet mocha and then a medium-long finish bringing back the beginning. Additional flavors are present, but my palate is already fatigued and overwhelmed. There is so much oak, the fruit has no freshness and has that stewed jam/jelly quality… not quite in the port category though. Very low tannins and medium-low acidity, but the texture is velvetty and coats the mouth. 88 from Robert Parker, really? Wow! This wine is made for a specific market demographic, is of decent quality, but is definitely not for the traditional wine drinker. It is sweet, soft and missing acidity & tannins. I might keep this around for guests that were primarily cocktail drinkers, but wanted to join us in a glass of wine before, or after supper.

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