TN Thread For "Pick A Buddy, Swap Some Wine"

I will be the first cork dork to kick off the thread here for the tasting notes. The bottle for this note comes from Joe Winograd, who when I met him this week, I gave image the wrong directions from San Diego to meet me on his way into Los Angeles. Being a smart guy that he is, he allowed for extra time. Yes, his name is legit, of Russian descent, and it’s a damn cool name at that. Sounds a lot better also than Frank Winomurray III, too.

I traded Joe a bottle of Drappier 2008 Millesime so we will see if he is able to circle back and complete the TN trade. I picked out from his cellar this Bedrock (see below) b/c I have drank from this plot in the past, via Wind Gap and I think which is now done under the Pax label. I don’t own any Bedrock, yet I know many over here on WB dig the label, and I do appreciate in a past year the support that Morgan gave me for one of my Laura’s House Falltacular events. All together, I had an interest in this bottling, so this was my choice. To that end, my TN is below. Very much in the style I like, with lots of whole cluster and red fruit elements, albeit maybe a bit bigger toned due to house style and vintage.

• 2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Griffin’s Lair - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (10/21/2015)
  First time trying this wine. Was fortunate to have traded it in exchange for a bottle of bubbly and I love how wine people can display generosity and a sharing mentality. When I opened this initially, it came off as plush and dense, with not much of a finish. I thought, hmmm, this has a oomph but it’s missing complexity. But, as it gained air, it started to unfold. It picked up energy, some whole cluster impact and depth…re-tasting now a day later. The whole cluster in the aromatic is evident, as it gives it that brisk, spicy note that only whole cluster can provide–the peppery, herbal note. Along with it, some cooked meat. The palate shows creamy, dark cherry with the garrigue elements from that same cluster inclusion. It finishes with campfire ember, pepper and a brushing of bitter chocolate, spice and some refreshing acidity. The palate of the wine shows the fruit being youthful and present, the finish though a little tight. Thus, and I know this is a 2012, this wine will age and it’s not yet fleshed out, which is probably unusual to hear me of all people make a remark like that. PS–the label lists that the wine is 80% whole cluster (shows that for sure, but it’s not aggressive even at that #) and 12% Viognier, which does give it a bit floral sweetness in the palate, if that makes any sense.

Posted from CellarTracker

Thanks, Frank Winomurray III!! Great story, and I’m glad you actually MET Joe because I keep getting PMs and reports about him not using his real name, and I have to tell people that it is!

Great notes, of course, and the storyline that goes with it that you can do far better than I, my friend. This weekend Mike and I will add ours to the thread

Great note Frank…that’s really taking one for the team. I’ve got a second Grif tucked away and will put it on my schedule for, say, 2025

Drappier is in top of the pile but I am currently sidelined with some kind of a bug. Will open and post a TN within the next few weeks

Joe, it was my jive ass directions that made you ill. Feel better, man.

Joan has served on the Gap board with me. She and Jim are truly excellent people. I’d love to get fruit from them but it is fully contracted and doesn’t fit our fogline profile. An incredible fruit source to be sure.

The Bedrock here on night 3 picked up some more weight, adding some tar and darker fruit. Dig the brooding quality of this now that it has really aired out. Still tannin in the finish, bit dustier in tone today. Terrific CA Syrah here.

Frank and I made a trade, his Copain 2011 Monument Valley for my 2012 Turley 2012 Hayne Petite Syrah. It turned out to be a very pleasant surprise for me. I stopped buying Copain when they changed their wine to a lighter style, which typically is not in my wheel house.

Copied from CellarTracker since I could figure out how to link
Surprisingly I liked it a lot. Copain succeed in creating a very food friendly wine. It did not give up a lot of aroma when poured. It was a bit tannic out of the bottle, but it settled down after around an hour in the glass and was well integrated from attack to finish. The lush red fruit dominated the palate. The secondary floral flavors were a bit muted by the fruit, but were there and very pleasant.

Arn, nice job. Copain Tree usually pushes a lot of red fruit, and I figured rather than give you say 09 or 12, where we know there is fruit out front, I’d curve you with the 11 and its acid and leaner result. Glad you took on the challenge, pal. As a side note, I just bought a handful of the 13 Tree, which is dynamite, kind of plush like Tree when it shows that but with added beautiful balance.

“From the cellar of a gentleman”

I probably date myself when I say such. there was a time when auction catalogs carried this line when detailing certain wines. I always thought it funny when I read it but that was the 80s and I was young. Nowadays I can appreciate what a gentleman is, and believe me, there are not many left. Not sure I would count my own street-hatched self as one. Gentlemen, aside from acting like a gentleman will trade you an awesome bottle, one that will sting to let go of. Todd and myself traded bottles innocently enough a few months ago. I have always enjoyed his company in the few times we have broken duck and I can unequivocally say he is a gentleman. He sent me this beauty, something I most certainly have no experienced as of yet. Thank you, Todd. It’s awesome.

• 2007 Joseph Swan Vineyards Pinot Noir Saralee’s Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (10/23/2015)
  A very pretty wine of carnelian-red with an almost wispy look of dustiness. Nose of tart cranberries and just a bit of creme brulee. Nose alone shows elegance and class. Palate reveals what I will describe as the perfectly matured Russian River Pinot; it’s perfectly balanced layerers of purity, sensuality and presence and within a perfectly packager framework of glorious fruits of quiet strawberries and warm tart cranberry pie. Interesting soft rose petals too! There is nothing popping out as a ‘spot me?’ quality. Acidity perfectly delineated and tannins perfectly resolved. A delicate wine that if one swirls too vigorously one will sense some reduction notes, so I won’t. After a dozen minutes this starts exploding upward from the glass and now is super fragrant. This wine right now does demand/deserve the perfect serving temperature, somewhere right at 63-65 is downright necessary. I did say it’s a delicate flower and needs to be treated like one. Long and graceful finish all reminiscent of what came before. This is one to savor, not rush through. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Where have all the gentlemen gone??

Other than the gentleman reference, holy crap that’s a fantastic note! You need to fill the forum with TN’s bud. I’m going to put out a disclaimer now that my note on your wine will be the equivalent of a crayon drawing on construction paper in comparison…when I open the wine.

Mike Pobega and I swapped wines, though in a bit of a different order, and not ‘officially’ part of this forum event, but from it this forum event was created, to try and encourage more swaps, more interaction between members.

Mike is a great freakin’ guy. It’s that simple. In fact, when I introduced Jen to the NYC-area gang for BerserkerFest 4 years ago, he all but stole her away from me. They had the same taste in wines, so for almost two years after the event, we played WWMD (‘what would Mike do’), because if Mikey liked it, she’d like it! Her tastes have since changed, and Mike’s have changed DRASTICALLY, but fortunately for me, he’s wanting to give up some of his former title (King Cab) and I’m a happy recipient.

The wine Mike sent me was a 1995 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon. On this bottle, my heart sank when I opened the foil:

Then, opening the wine, the cork felt soft. No bueno. I poured a glass, and it was ridiculously light for a cab of this era, so my hopes were low. I tried to show how light it was with this pic below, but it didn’t properly show it:

Then, first taste. DOA, it appeared. Thin, alcoholic, lacking ANY fruit or character, just a hot thin mess. I decided to give it an hour or so to see if it got any better, as people like Tom Hill lecture us that wine is more durable than we give it credit. So, we opened a bottle of Pierre Moncuit Champagne in the interim. (Delicious, by the way) I came back to it about an hour and a half later, and lo and behold, it was NOT dead on arrival! Crazy! Now the nose is as I was hoping it would be - Bordeaux-like, as Napa cabs with age can be. As the raised cork would suggest, it is NOT a perfect example, and it definitely aged faster than it might otherwise have, but still the nose now has red cherry, graphite, and saddle leather, the trifecta of Bordeaux characteristics. Sure as sh*t (as my dad used to love to say) if it didn’t gain weight, and change color a bit also! This is a living organism, I guess! On the palate, it gained a lot of weight from my first thin, alcoholic sip. It has a bit of pruning to the fruit, but still some brightness as well. Hints of stony fruits on the palate, bit of tartness comes through, and the acidity still carries through, giving it a nice, long finish. If the fruit didn’t have a bit of stewed character to it, this would absolutely kill, I’m sure.

Cheers, my friend!

Courtesy of Diane Kessler: 2000 Château d’Issan (Margaux). Bit of bricking at the rim. Aroma and flavor that are more fruit-driven than mineral- or earth-driven. A bit of extra alcohol on the nose at first (but I’m more sensitive to that than most) that eventually dissipates. Dark fruits. Black cherry, purple plums, blackberry, with just a hint of mushroom and leather. Finely grained tannins that are close to being resolved, putting this wine in the camp to go ahead and enjoy now. Again, lots of fruit on the palate. Moderate acidity. Moderate length to the finish.

I had this wine within the past 12 months, and agree that it’s an ‘enjoy now’ wine - about the perfect spot in development for my tastes.

Nah, you were just drunk by the time you went back to the cab.

Just because we polished 4 bottles of Champagne in that time frame doesn’t mean we were DRUNK!

Just ‘happy’.

I am glad you had a good outcome and thanks for the kind words.
WWMD? Dumped it ‘tout-suite’.

If you check out my note from this past May, you will see that decanting it helped a lot. The aromatics just weren’t there when first poured, but with air, it showed beautifully. I plan to get to your bottle this weekend. I think rack of lamb with a 2000 Pavillon Rouge du Chateau Margaux sounds just about right.

Lamb will go great. As I emailed, but will benefit the community here as well, the note I posted here also includes my drinking it the following day. So I got to experience some evolution with the wine. Yet, it was plenty good as a pop and pour.

Arnie, I got the 2012 Turley Hayne teed up for this Sunday. Will post a note, regaling all of you with my brilliance once I am able. I am sure Arnie will be brought to tears and be forced to open a Harlan or Schrader CCS to assuage his emotional overwhelm.

I just received a bottle of 2012 Myriad Sugarloaf Mtn Whole Cluster from Brian and he should hopefully receive a bottle of 2010 Alain Voge Cornas Les Chailles Syrah from me by Friday or Saturday. Looking forward to popping open that Myriad; I’m the lucky one here, you guys gotta suffer through my TN. More to come.