Theme: “They make good red wine in places other than France, California, Italy and Spain, don’t they?” Host: J a y H a c k Matching donors: Any takers? Date: November 30th - December 7th Format: Jay will donate $5 per Tasting Note on Red wine NOT from the following; France, California, Italy, or Spain. Let’s get creative!
Cellartracker users, I’ve made it real easy for you. A list of reds by region from your cellar, you’ll need to avoid the big 4.
In 2004, Shin Fujiyama went on a weeklong service trip to Hondura
s. He was a 20-year old college student who had no idea that those few days would shape the next ten years of his life.
He never imagined that he’d be running an orphanage and school, build a village, and be named a CNN Hero a few years later.
After that initial trip, Shin began returned to Honduras during every break to learn more about the country, its challenges, and its people.
Back on campus he began raising money for various charities and orphanages in Honduras.
His first penny drive barely brought in twenty dollars. He almost quit that day, but his friends encouraged him to keep trying. So he began organizing bake sales, car washes, and yard sales with his roommates.
Soon, they began to raise more money. Other students began to accompany Shin on his trips to Honduras. Since then, nearly 100 universities and high schools in the U.S. have started a chapter of Students Helping Honduras. Thousands of volunteers have traveled to Honduras and collectively raised millions of dollars.
After graduating from college in 2007, Shin and his sister Cosmo decided to start Students Helping Honduras, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.
In 2009, Shin was named a CNN Hero and was featured on CNN, CNN en Español, Larry King Live, and national news stations in Honduras for his work in the country. Shin currently lives in Honduras, working as the Executive Director and coaching the village soccer team at Villa Soleada.
Brig, I promise that I’m not trying to be difficult, but if it isn’t just reds, then you should remove “reds” from the thread title and the theme description. If it is just reds, you should add that to the format line. Just trying to avoid misunderstandings about what does and doesn’t qualify for Jay’s generous offer.
That narrows it down for me to a Cab Franc, Tempranillo, Petite Verdot or Grenache from Random Wine Co or another Pinot Noir and we opened 5 PN last week. Way to keep the donation low Jay! :-p
2014 Kanonkop Pinotage (Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa)
Medium ruby red with garnet edges. Very interesting nose. A little dirty, some burnt rubber, spices like black pepper and herbs. Started to open up over a couple hours with some chalk, floral notes and dark fruits such as figs and blueberries. Moderate tannins (6.5/10) with a medium body. Bright acidity from the start with dark fruits; soft blueberries on the attack then blackberries and some red cherries. Long dry finish with dried berries and a slight toasty and savory notes. Drink till 2024. (91+)
2010 Morgenster (Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa)
Medium ruby red. Layered nose with high intensity not watered down. Definite South African Funk starting off a little stinky, gamey, chalky and ended with some light vegetal notes. Solid cherries carried throughout. Moderate plus tannins (7.5/10) with not much fruit. Full bodied with balanced acidity. Very Bordelaise like with dark red cherries, some savory elements, earthy characteristics like iron and minerality. Very dry and long finish. Beautiful Bordeaux blend from South Africa. Drink till 2024. (93)
2011 Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon (Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa)
Medium to deep ruby red. Very interesting nose, a lot more savory with some dirty and musky notes. A little gamey/iron too with smoked herbs. Very light spices with a bit of dark berries on the back end. Moderate tannins (6.5/10) with dark characteristics throughout the palate. Some dark red berries, some greenery and a little savory. Medium plus bodied with strong and tangy acidity. Long dry finish. This definitely needs more time to fully develop. Drink till 2017 till 2027. (91+)
2013 De Toren Fusion V (Stellenbosch, Coastal Region, South Africa)
Deep ruby red with high intensity. Nose was slightly dirty to start with a little barnyard or wet hay funk (good South African funk, don’t be scared). This aired out to some classic chalkiness with tobacco, light bell peppers and a little charred note at the end. Moderate tannins (7/10) with a medium plus body. This was very tight and softer than expected when we opened it, but started to sing after a few hours in the glass. Very well integrated, no sharp or harsh edges. Layered palate with some red cherries and savory notes on the front end. With the air time came a few more notes of black berries and raspberries, some dried berries too. Also seemed to have a few rustic characteristics. Beautiful wine with a dry and lingering finish. Definitely one of the great wines out of South Africa. Give it some good air time and let it get to just below room temperature before enjoying. Drink till 2028. (93)
Lucky me, of the entire cellar, I got one bottle of qualifying wine, a Pinot Noir from Canada that was gifted to me last year. Be drinking that for the challenge, saved by Canada!
Decanted 2 hours, consumed the following 3. This had massive amounts of oak dominating the nose and palate. It did blow off some, but still overshadowed the fruit on the nose and palate. Fruit that is now starting to slowly shedding it’s baby fat. I am concerned about how dominating that vanilla oak is, as I don’t see it subsiding enough to allow the aging fruit to show what it has. It was still a decent bottle but I would recommend drinking sooner rather than later. I don’t see it getting better from here.
88 Points
– as a side, I’ve consumed almost 2 cases of this since release. The last, previous to this, was 6 years ago. I had always been in the 92-94 points back then.
Decanted 5 hours. There is a lot of tannins on this young Douro wine. Thankfully they are somewhat tempered by lots of creosote, black fruit, graphite, a smattering of eucalyptus, and plenty of acidity. I took a small taste early on and a long decant has really helped, as it wasn’t showing much upon opening, and is far better now. I’ve never had a wine from this producer so I don’t have a reference as to how well it may age. But I’m inclined to say it should do well over the next 8-10 years, if not longer. A pretty darn good $25 bottle of Douro wine.
91 Points
2014 Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (11/30/2016)
Scents of olives, smoke, dehydrated meats, and red/black fruits. The palate is silky smooth, with vibrant fruit, high acidity…and just screaming that it will have a long and exciting life. Outstanding!!
Pretty funny, but outside of Port, I seriously only have one bottle - yea one bottle in my little country “cellar” - outside of those four areas. A lone bottle of 1979 Chateau St. Michelle Cab. Have no clue whether it is alive or any good, or even when to pop it.
I am shocked at how parochial some of your collections are. I have 215 bottles that qualify, and only 30 of those are Port. Haven’t you guys ever heard of Ch. Musar? Grange? Alma Viva? Cayuse? Paumanok? I think Abood’s favorite, Silver Springs, even makes a red wine.
I would say, “provincial”! I is what I is, and after 25 years of this, I know exactly what I like. I will dig around to see what else I have that qualifies! I love reading about Musar, and the notes I read suggest it would be in my wheelhouse, but it never really has been.
Oh shoot, I’m such a dummy, I have lots of Riesling! Totally forgot about that little country that adjoins, and sometimes invades, France. Was mostly thinking red wines.
2013 Bodega Noemia de Patagonia A Lisa Patagonia Argentina
Well structured red, lots of red and black fruits with a strong floral component. Moderate tannins and a medium smoky finish. Nice wine for the price. $22.00
2008 Chateau Musar- Lebanon, Bekaa Valley (12/1/2016)
My first experience of this vintage. Semi-opaque, bright ruby the rim. Nose is young but classic Musar…obvious VA, lots of high tones on the nose and the palate offers up flavors of cherry cough drop and tart red fruits framed by high acidity and firm tannins. This comes across as more polished than other vintages of Muser that I’ve had. This could be really outstanding with some time…maybe even classic. At $40/bottle or less buy all that you can find right now if you like Musar. Outstanding! with room to improve. Check back in 2023+
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I is what I is, and after 25 years of this, I know exactly what I like. I will dig around to see what else I have that qualifies! I love reading about Musar, and the notes I read suggest it would be in my wheelhouse, but it never really has been.