AO is turning out some really great wines and is usually my recommendation for any out of town folks that want a good tasting experience. Over the past two years I usually try drop in to taste with Henrik and Jean every now and then to see what is going on and how previous vintages are progressing. Last time I was there we mostly worked through 2006, 2007 and 2008 barrel samples. This time we went through a number of 2007, 2008 and 2009’s from barrel. Zach and Peter were in town for my wedding so we set up something up as they have never been to AO. Henrik and Jean have always been gracious hosts and this time we had a blast. This time we tasted in one of the barrel rooms and just chatted about the wines. Started out with some whites and then moved to the reds to then finish with a sweet wine. I can’t say enough about these wines as they are all really special and the quality is astounding. One of the best two hours you can spend in the valley. It’s great to know they are just a phone call and one hour drive away.
2009 Alpha Omega Sauvignon Blanc: This is a nice treat, light citrus notes, star fruit, white peach and guava. Good acid on the palate, hints of cream, lush mouth feel and bright finish.
2009 Alpha Omega Sauvignon Blanc 1155: The 1155 designation is noted to represent 100% estate fruit for this wine IIRC. The only grape grown on the property is SB so they felt the need to designate this from the regular Napa Valley. This was the right choice as the wine has a bit more weight and depth when compared to its Napa Valley sibling. Great dense mouth feel with lemon zest, peach, lemon meringue and some spice. Weightier than the last time and I think this saw some time in wood. Interesting hints of herbs and some white flowers on the nose. Nice long finish with balanced acid to offset the weight of this wine.
2008 Alpha Omega Chardonnay: Wow, this is a monster of a chardonnay that screams for some sort of food. Luckily we had some snacks with us to keep us going through the tasting. Huge nose of creamy lemons, bright melons, toasty oak and crème friache. Really weighty and dense on the palate stacked with yellow fruits and a seemingly velvety texture. Sure there is a whopping dose of oak but it is integrated nicely and does not off put in any way. Finish seems to continue on with some peach and vanilla oak.
2007 Alpha Omega Proprietary: This is really something special and probably my favorite wine of the tasting. Nose is simply captivating with baking chocolate, bright and fresh red fruits with some blackberries intertwined. Hints of clove, cinnamon and other baking spices. Palate derived from its wonderful texture which is simply pure and velvety. Great length, densely packed with polished tannins, wonderful plush fruit, spice box, cigar smoke and some nice toasty vanilla oak. Just a flat out delicious wine that has some stuffing to go for a while but would be damn near impossible to keep my hands off em. Even the bugophile liked it!
2008 Alpha Omega Cabernet Sauvignon: A bit darker in color than the last wine and not as expressive on the nose. Mostly blue and black fruits with some pencil shavings, road tar and pepper. Really tight on the nose and ever after some coaxing in the glass it still does not want to give up much. More dark fruits on the palate with spicy oak, chewy tannins, pepper and spice box. This wine definitely has some stuffing to go for a while but with it being close to all cab it just doesn’t want to give up much on the nose. Give this one some time and you will be rewarded.
2008 Alpha Omega Era: Wow, another one that has you at first whiff. A bit more open than its 2008 cab counterpart probably due to the blending percentages. On the nose you get spicy tobacco, black tea leaves, fresh raspberries, black cherries and some blue berries. Gorgeous hints of licorice, crème de cassis, raspberry liqueur with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Seamless texture, completely mouth coating, round but firm tannins with great acid to balance and ample fruit. Nice vanilla like oak on the finish with more of the baking spices, nutmeg and cinnamon. I love what AO does with the blends as the merlot just seems to soften up the cab and it provides a wonderful texture to the wine.
Next we moved on to some 2009 barrel samples that were pulled for us before we arrived. In 2009 Jean and Henrik decided that they wanted to take their single vineyard designates a bit further. Previously they had done the To-Kalon vineyard but in 2009 they will bottle off GIII and Stagecoach as well.
2009 Alpha Omega Georges-III Cabernet: By far my favorite of the three 2009 barrel samples as it was the most enjoyable and approachable. Great nose of cool blue fruits, creamy oak and some interesting spicy qualities. Simply wonderful to drink, very approachable and the wine picked up weight and some tannins in the glass with air. Should develop nicely over the years to come.
2009 Alpha Omega To-Kalon Cabernet: This wine seemed to be in a bit of a funky stage when we tasted it. The wine seemed a bit disjointed with some angular tannins and a dense mouth feel. Red and blue fruits, great oak integration but the palate balance just isn’t there for this wine. Obviously there are barrel samples and I have faith that this wine will shake itself out and be something special down the road. With the way the 2007 and 2008 turned out I am not at all worried.
2009 Alpha Omega Stagecoach Cabernet: Holy freaking cow this is a dense monster of a wine. The color is almost pure black with no hint of letting up at the edges. Nose is packed with iron, creosote, road tar, smoke, charcoal and tobacco. Black fruits all the way through with spicy oak. The palate is absolutely tannin and dense, super weighty and a drying chalky aspect. The mountain/hillside fruits aspect is showing on this wine, I would really love to see what this does with some time.
2008 Alpha Omega Late Harvest Reserve: I had yet to taste their late harvest wine and being a fan of sauternes this was a real treat. Gorgeous nose of pineapple puree, apricot, peach skin, orange marmalade and zesty lemon. Great palate balance with a nice heavy fruit profile, great acid to balance out the sweetness. Not cloying in anyway, nice fruits, sees a bit of oak IIRC and a long sweet finish. Nice way to end the tasting.
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