TN – Sojourn 2015 Spring Release Wines

Our group had the opportunity to taste the Sojourn spring release. As buyers of Sojourn since the 2005/2006 release, we have some experience with these wines and they were quite approachable now, and will be even better with a little more bottle age. The group favorite was the Rodger’s Creek Pinot Noir, and it is funny that looking back, we try to come up with a favorite of the tasting (sometimes it is difficult to single out just one), and it is often a different vineyard each time around.

2013 Chardonnay - Sonoma Coast:
The first taste erupts in a very pleasant, fairly robust mouthful of tropical flavors, lemon zest, perhaps even a bit of grapefruit, balanced by layers of vanilla and toasty, nutty essence. Not too much oak, but it is certainly present, and a touch of acid on the finish; both of these will probably balance out with a little more bottle time.

2013 Chardonnay - Sangiacomo Vineyard:
A bit richer than the blend, the Sangiacomo has a clean nose, with citrus overtones. Layers of fruit balanced with a hint of oak and a layer of minerality. The oak presence was less than with the first Chardonnay. A very nice, fresh tasting, wine.

2013 Pinot Noir - Sonoma Coast:
While this is a blend, and the least expensive of the Sojourn offerings, it is comprised of some of their best vineyards including Gap’s Crown, Wohler and Sangiacomo! Medium garnet in color, bright cherry and strawberry on the palate. A touch of cherry cola flavor but not too much, and the oak is not that present. A touch sweet, but with some acid on the finish.

2013 Pinot Noir - Rodgers Creek Vineyard:
This wine was darker in color, and with layers of dark fruits and a very earthy taste. Tobacco, mushroom, maybe even a leathery note that resulted in a beautiful mouthful of texture and an amazingly long finish. The group’s favorite of the tasting.

2013 Pinot Noir - Sangiacomo Vineyard:
The Sojourn Sangiacomo is our traditional, go-to, Pinot. It is always the one we buy the most of, and is a crowd pleaser when we open one amongst friends. This year’s version is very similar to those from the past, with deep cherry notes, a medium to medium dark color and bright cherry and raspberry notes. Some tobacco, baking spices, and oak on the lingering finish and just a touch of acid.

2013 Pinot Noir - Gap’s Crown Vineyard:
I was glad to see with the sale of the Gap’s Crown Vineyard, that Sojourn is still able to source this fruit. Many of our favorite producers make wine from this vineyard, which, to me, historically exhibits bigger, fruitier wines. This year’s Sojourn offering is dark in color, with some bold fruit flavors, yet the wine is certainly not over the top. To the contrary, it may even be a bit more subdued than the Sonoma Coast blend (which has some Gap’s in its blend). There is some acid and spicy attributes, including some baking spices, and some smooth tannin.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon - Home Ranch Vineyard (Sonoma):
If I had been drinking this blind I would have sworn this was a Rutherford Cab, or had merlot in it. Ruby in color, it had a dusty, earthy overtone. A medium-bodied Cabernet; chewy, but not over the top. A touch of acid and a medium finish. I think this will be even nicer with a little bottle age.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon - Beckstoffer Vineyard Georges III Vineyard (Napa):
This was much darker in color, with rich, somewhat jammy, blackberry, plum, and a little dark cherry on the palate, with some extremely smooth tannin. A very nice finish - I tried timing it but then ruined it by going back for another taste. This is a great example of Georges III.

Overall, once again, a very nice line-up.

Nice report, Bruce.

Thank you, Bruce. I was counting on a report from you!

I just got the Sojourn mailer this morning, so here are my notes:

Sojourn Winter/Spring 2015

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to sample some of the new wines with another couple. We sampled them alongside a mushroom and truffle white pizza, arancini balls with lamb, and osso buco. Most of the wines were popped-and poured, and all were served in appropriate Riedel glasses.

2013 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
All four of us really enjoyed this wine. Very yellow to gold in color. Had an herbal nose. Was nice and crisp, yet still had good mouthfeel, more body than I remember from past vintages. Flavors included honey, peach pit, some lemon, with some stone and mineral. A slight hint of butter and oak, nuttiness, but not overpowering. Maintained the crispness and rounded feeling. As I said, everyone liked this wine, and we were pretty uniform in our notes. This wine was nice and balanced, and could cover a variety of settings and foods, or it could be enjoyed on its own.

2013 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
This Pinot had a huge nose. Smelled like cherry ice-cream. Had flavors not only of sweet red cherries, but also pomegranate and butterscotch, and some mint. Almost had a creaminess to it. The cherry flavors really came through on this wine. Very nice texture, lush. Of the four Pinots we tasted, this one was a little tight, but opened up the most quickly. It was also the Pinot most ready to drink without needing more age. This was an enjoyable wine we all liked. Will buy these for Ravinia and Millennium Park concerts, and for drinking in the near-term.

2013 Rodgers Creek Vineyard (SC) Pinot Noir
This Pinot was lighter in color, but had more bright fruit and SC spice, a bit more mushroom and earth. Also seemed to be more crisp, but still keeping a silky structure. In general, it seemed like a lighter wine, and a more food-friendly wine. Had more minerality to it than the regular SC. This wine could stand some more time, but probably not as much as the Gap’s or the Sangiacomo.

2013 Sangiacomo Vineyard (SC) Pinot Noir
This is always one of our favorites, and this year’s did not disappoint. This wine always has nice balance and structure, and always shows well of a SC Pinot. This year, there’s a lot going on in this wine. Lots of layering. It’s a bigger wine than the previous two Pinots, more smooth without the young wine bite. Much more SC spice, and cinnamon. More forest floor and earth. This Pinot was much more red in color than the other two (or so it seemed to us). Had a chance to taste from a bottle that had been opened the night before. That bottle expressed more cherry and strawberry, some raspberry, as it seemed the fruit came through more as it opened. Also, it smoothed out even further, more silky. I think this wine needs time, or a big decant. I would buy this to age. My wife and the other young lady liked this Pinot the best.

2013 Gap’s Crown Vineyard (SC) Pinot Noir
This is typically my favorite Pinot from Sojourn. It was also the tightest of the four, and the one we all agreed needed the most time. We all thought this one could age the best. This too was bigger than the first two, and it had a lot going on as well. Seemed to have more dirt and earth. A bit more forest floor. This wine has more grip and structure than the previous three Pinots. Dense and deep, yet balanced and silky, not at all over-the-top. More tart fruits, tart cherry and cranberry. Nice amount of SC spice, baking spices. Colorwise, seemed the most purple (for whatever that’s worth). Like I said, of the four Pinots, this is the one age will help the most, even though it drinks well now. Actually, the other gentleman and I liked this Pinot the best.

2012 Home Ranch Vineyard (SV) Cabernet Sauvignon
This vineyard seems to be maturing. Becoming less wild, less briar fruit. Had loads of blueberries, some vanilla, and a good dose of tannin and structure. Had some menthol aspects and eucalyptus, almost aromatic. You could tell this was a bit of a young Cab, and we got to taste from a bottle that had been opened the night before. It still retained a lot of the blueberry flavors, but really smoothed out. After a day, it was a Cab I could have gulped down, it was that smooth and enjoyable to drink. We all enjoyed.

2012 Beskstoffer Vineyard Georges III Rutherford (Napa Valley) Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a big wine. This is a delicious wine. And it needs some time. There’s just more of everything going on here. Luscious mouthfeel, but plenty of grip and structure, but not over-the-top. Structured to age. Loads of blackberry, and black fruits in general, like black cherry. An elegant wine. The overall favorite of the entire tasting. Would loved to have polished-off this bottle. Can’t wait for this wine to really age and express itself.

I’ll make my contribution to notes from a recent tasting:

2013 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast-very light gold color. Green apple and pineapple fruit profile. Lemon curd on the mid palate and finish. Roundness on the middle and back palate. Crisp with nice acid. 30% new oak, but no overt oak or toasty notes. ML gives it some creaminess on the back palate, but it has enough acid to stand up to it. This would be great with shellfish or something that a Chablis style wine would go with.

2013 Chardonnay Sangiacomo Vineyard-Bolder than the Sonoma Coast with a bit more toast and bigger mouthfeel. Creamier with a bit less of an acid finish. Less overt fruit profile as compared to the Sonoma Coast. More “Californian” than the Sonoma Coast, but still refreshing and good.

I’m not a Chard fan, but I like these wines more than past Sojourn Chards. Less oak and creaminess and more minerality. I think these will be great. Craig indicated that he thinks they are doing a better job with the Chardonnay fruit given a couple of years experience with the vineyard. Hard to disagree based on these two.

2013 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast-Dark color profile in the glass. Strawberry and dark cherry fruit profile on the front palate. It finishes on the mid palate. It lacks some of the roundness and mouthfeel most Sojourn wines have. A bit disjointed. Young and needs some time to round out.

2013 Rodgers Creek Pinot Noir-I always love Rodgers Creek and this is another outstanding version. Great round Sojourn-typical mouthfeel and richness. Forest floor, earth, and some blackberry/dark cherry fruit dominate the flavor profile. Nice acid structure that carries through the back palate. Great combination of fruit, intensity, richness, and earthiness.

2013 Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard-Each year, it is a contest between this and the Rodgers Creek for my favorite Sojourn PN. Great round mouthfeel thru the front and midpalate. Earth and pinecones and some bright pinot fruit. This may win this year. Still young and needs some time to round out.

2013 Pinot Noir Gap’s Crown-Less ebullient than prior versions. Deeper, earthier, but still intense. Opens up and softens with some air. Nice acid structure. Needs some time to open up. Craig indicated that with some air, it would be much more typical of Gap’s Crown.

2012 Home Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon-Big cassis fruit on the nose. Round blueberry, cassis, and chocolate on the palate. Some acid on the finish. The Home Ranch seems to get better each year. This is by far the best Home Ranch yet. This is really great. Like it a lot, obviously. As Cal Cabs go, this is a steal at $48.

2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Vineyard George III Rutherford-blackberry, blueberry, chocolate. Elegant and complex. Long finish with smooth tannins. A very nice wine. I think it needs a little time to settle down.

Our group also had a chance to try the upcoming release wines and as usual it’s always a debate to pick a favorite. These wines really reflect their vineyards year in and year out. I usually go between Sang and the Gaps as the favorite and this year for me it was the Gaps. I tend to find Gaps needs some time but I thought it was hitting all the notes with about 2 hours of air.

I generally find the SC Pinot an early drinker but I think this years with fruit mostly from Sang and Gaps it will reward 6-12 months of cellaring and it has some real potential. I loved the Sang chard and thought the Home Ranch was solid and showing a bit more oomph. The G3 as usual was the real deal but don’t be in a rush to drink this one. I’ll give it a few more years as all the pieces come together.

Congrats to Craig and the team for another great set of wines.

Cheers
Fred

Our group also had the opportunity to taste through the spring release early this week. Some consensus among the diverse group:

Chards were a step up from previous years and well received. I enjoyed the Sonoma Coast more but most of the group liked the depth of the Sangiacomo more. On the Pinot side, the Gap’s Crown was the clear favorite even by those who don’t fit into Craig’s “Pinot for Cab lovers group” and everyone was impressed with the Sonoma Coast and it’s layered red fruit. G III Cab was great - very drinkable now but should age well and improve.

Don’t miss the Chardonnays. These took the biggest jump in quality from my view. The Cabs and Pinots are going to age terrifically, and would love to try them all again in another 6 months. Lots of great potential. Easily the best line up of wines to date. Rodgers is always a favorite, that’s the one I would say don’t miss.

Yesterday I attended the release event Sojourn held in Maanhattan Beach. Nice to visit with Craig and Randy, and our group has a nice chat with a Berserker, Lee Cort.

I was able to taste through these wines again. As I thought when I tasted through them a few weeks ago, the Rodgers Creek was singing and ready to drink right now - beautiful. The Sangiocome was nicer yesterday than when I first tried it. The Sangiacomo Chard was really elegant, showing quite nicely. And the GIII which I previosusly thought needed time - was just beautiful. Probably not as huge as I recall other vintages, but really a nice Cab.

My assumption is a little air really made these sing. This vintage is really strong. And I think a good value.

Also tasted the Rodgers Creek PN, for whatever reason it’s always my favorite. I tried to pick up a couple of bottles at the falltacular auction but got sniped.

• 2013 Sojourn Chardonnay Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (2/27/2015)
  Very light yellow color. Nose shows light tree fruit and sweet oak. Palate is very interesting, no big fruity Chardonnay, but reserve pear, lemon, sweet oak then mid way strong salinity, big acid, and green olive. Spicy jalapeño / black pepper finish.
• 2012 Sojourn Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (2/24/2015)
  Falltacular 2015 (FMIII in the OC): Don’t open this, the tannins will ripe your tongue to pieces. I love this wine, might be WOTN, and I’m not a cab guy. It has everything. Blue and black fruit, huge structure, good acid, huge finish. Special.

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