RANDY AND STEVE VISIT CLEVELAND (NAPA VS. BORDEAUX) - Colonial (5/26/2016)
BBer Randy R. and his business partner Steve K. were in Cleveland on business. The bat signal was sent out and despite a ton of road construction and a home Cavs playoff game, we got 10 people to welcome them and drink some wine. The wines were served blind and we consumed them over the course of 2.5 hours. We drank for a bit and then went thru them one by one, trying to guess what they may be. The theme was California Cab or Bordeaux (perhaps in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris), so that made the guessing a bit easier. Still, we all had plenty of misses as some of the producers, the ages and the vintages made it not as easy as we may have thought. There were plenty of breads, crackers and cheeses served as well. It was a fun night with a lot of laughs and some very good wines.
White Flight
While perhaps not strictly on theme, it was nice to start with a few whites:
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2014 Sandlands Chenin Blanc - USA, California
My first time trying this one. It is very nice albeit nothing that to me resembles chenin from the Loire. Possibly South Africa at its best. Surprisingly to me is the lack of fruit for CA. Light green gold in color. The nose is slightly fleshy (yes, odd but not in a bad way) along with some slight but fresh mint. On the palate, this is very refreshing. Very nice minerality. Its about the rocks. Nothing that I can describe as fruit though. Very nice mouthfeel and good balance. Much better than this note makes it sound I guess, but very unique expression of Chenin. (90 pts.) -
2013 Château de Rayne-Vigneau Le Sec de Rayne Vigneau - France, Bordeaux
Very pale yellow-green in color. The nose is nice with lemons, clay and minerals. Good attack with some nice grapefruit but that fades and the mid-palate is a bit hollow and the finish a bit clipped. Not completely as there is some fruit all of the way. It has just the slightest perception of sweetness to it. Seems in a good place right now. (88 pts.) -
2014 Château de Callac Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves
Light green gold in color. The nose has a lot of lemons. Nice. On the palate, a tart acidity. Nothing profound here but this is tasty and food friendly. (88 pts.) -
2010 Uvaggio (L’Uvaggio di Giacomo) Moscato Secco - USA, California, Central Valley, Lodi
Tommy opened this for fun to test our blind tasting abilities. We all nailed it - odd, over the hill crap. To be fair, no one named place or varietal. It was fun, but this needed to be drunk up years ago. At its best there is a vanilla cream soda component, at its worse, this is chemical, and lacking anything. I am sure it was better in its youth. NR (flawed)
Bordeaux vs. Napa
A nice selection of reds
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2012 Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon The Arsenal Greer Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
Gorgeous wine that got better thru the evening. Purple in color, slightly flat. On the nose there is a lot of cassis, slight prune and chocolate. With air the prune fades and is replaced by char and spice. On the palate, there is a lot of cassis, milk chocolate with a lot of depth. Hard to distinguish the complexities at this point though they seem to be there. Good balance. A slight sip before unveiling is even better. My first guess was Schrader but with a little clue Pott seemed like a better guess. Like many 12’s, drinking well now but I think will last much longer than we think. (94 pts.) -
2007 Sineann Cabernet Sauvignon Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
Interestingly, this is a Cal Cab by a producer more know for his Oregon Pinot and Washington Cabs. It ended up being the biggest wine at the table. Some liked it more than I did. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has cassis, coffee and is a bit raisined. On the palate, the ripeness is evident. That said, it is in a good place with some tannins, depth and layers of complexity. Some coffee notes along with a lot of cassis. No hurry on this one. At around $42 on release, there is certainly some value in a Napa Cab sense here. (91 pts.) -
1994 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
This was fun to serve blind. Slow-oxed for three hours, then double decanted back into the bottle for travel. Purple in color, slightly flat. The nose shows a lot of cassis, some tobacco and a bit of funk. On the palate, layers of complexity. Cassis and tobacco. Still drinking mature but young. Blind the general consensus was Bordeaux and probably 2000. I brought it so I couldn’t play, but I get those guesses. I don’t think anyone guessed California. Just goes to show how well the best Cal Cabs can age. This was a beautiful wine tonight. (94 pts.) -
2012 Pott Wine Cabernet Sauvignon Her Majesty’s Secret Service Stagecoach Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley
It wa funny, Charlie brought this and lots of comments wondering if Charlie and Randy brought the same wine (on purpose?). Turns out they both brought 2012 Pott’s. I guess that makes sense. They were different tasted side by side but a lot more similar than different. Inky purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, coffee, slight chocolate and spice. On the palate, there is a lot of sweet ripe cassis and black raspberries. Lovely texture. Lou described it as “rich and decadent” which works well. Nice finish. Drinking very well today, the future is even brighter I think. A real crowd pleaser that should work well with food too. (94 pts.) -
2000 Château Clinet - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
I thought this was in a perfect spot at this point. Good to see that at least the B2K right bank wines are coming around. Purple/ruby in color, a bit flat. The nose is gorgeous with cherries, tobacco, slight tarragon and a bit of cassis. Layers of complexities on the palate; cherries, some forest floor, some dry, dusty earth with slight tannins. Good balance. Nice finish. Just what you hope for from this wine when you buy it. Probably at peak but should be there for a few years. (93 pts.) -
2012 TOR Kenward Family Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Gorgeous wine and my WOTN. Thanks Steve K! Purple in color. Bright. The nose has cassis and black raspberries with a bit of dark chocolate and some blueberries. Also some spice. On the palate, this is so well balanced. Smooth and accessible. Big but not overblown. delicious. Great fruit; black raspberries and some blueberries. Also some dark chocolate shavings. Good acidity. I am sure it will have a long life but it is so good right now. (95 pts.) -
2001 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - USA, California, Napa Valley
Blind, most picked this as Bordeaux although I thought Napa. Just too much sunshine, but I get why. Just a beautiful mature wine at this point. Still a long life ahead, but seems about at peak. The nose has cassis and some cedar with a bit of menthol and tobacco as well. On the palate, layers of complexity. Nice acidity. Cassis, forest floor and some funk. Light tannins although mostly resolved. Good finish. (94 pts.) -
1995 Château Lanessan - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
This chateau is always one of the great values and it lasts and ages so well. This win is no exception although at age 21, it is starting to show some wear and tear. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is very nice with cigar tobacco and cherries. Some dried fruit as well. On the palate. layers of dried and damp forest floor with cherries. Tannins resolved. Complex but not a monster. A very good wine. (90 pts.) -
2005 Château Lanessan - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Cool to try this right after the 95. In the end, this may be the better wine, but this still needs time. Purple/ruby in color, bright. The nose has cherries, tobacco and spice. On the palate, this is still all about cherries. Some firm tannins. Also some spice. Needs to come together a bit but the parts are here. I would hold these for a while. YMMV. (90 pts.) -
2000 Château Talbot - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
This drank very much like a left bank wine, but I was surprised to see that it was a B2K. It seems mature and absolutely ready to drink now (most B2K’s have not been for me). Purple in color. The nose is nice with cassis, some licorice and spice. On the palate, very smooth. Tannins are integrated. Plenty of fruit left if not intense, still very present. A nice complexity as it has layers of fruit and earth. Good finish. Lovely wine. (91 pts.) -
1995 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley
I seemed to have liked this better than the group. My best blind call of the night (05 Napa Cab) and in retrospect, Corrison would have been a great guess. Its always easier in hindsight. This is classic for her wines though. Ruby in color. Great black cherry fruit, some cassis, a bit of forest floor, some dry, dusty earth and slight tobacco on the palate. Complex layering of juicy black cherries with crushed leaves on the palate. Good acidity (a bit too much for some). Nice finish. At under 13% Alc., clearly old school but made to last. (92 pts.)
It was great to meet Randy and Steve and see some locals I had not seen in a while. Thanks to all for the contributions. Let’s do this again soon. And, go Cavs!
Posted from CellarTracker