TN: Charity Tasting Blowout! (Ramey, Bevan, Once & Future, Bedrock, Matthiasson, Betz, etc.)

Held my annual United Way charity tasting last night. It’s an event that is bid on during the silent auction every year at work, in support of the annual charity campaign. This was the tenth or eleventh tasting I have donated to the auction (probably more). I have lost track.

Only brief impressions, as I am more focused on introducing the wines, and answering questions, but almost all of the wines showed really well.

2016 Matthiasson White Wine (Napa Valley, California)
Bright lemon fruit, accented with hay, peach skin and a brisk, salty finish. Fun and fresh. Felt like it was showing more of its Semillon side than the Sauvignon.

2014 Ramey Wine Cellars Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast, California)
Another great bottle of this wine, it showed all the usual fresh fruit, as well as a touch of spiciness. Medium bodied, and very long on the finish. Excellent value at $30 for top quality wine.

2017 Lagier Meredith Rosé of Syrah (Mount Veeder, Napa Valley, California)
Been a while since I tasted an L-M rose, and this is really good. Crushed strawberry and red cherry fruit, a bit of herb. Dry but full fruit. It’s going to be a great summer wine.

2016 Division Wine Co. Pinot Noir Bjornson Vineyard ‘Quatre’ (Eola Amity Hills, Oregon)
Spot on as usual for Division. Focused red fruit, earthy depth, balancing acidity, a bit of finishing tannin, and a long, ethereal finish. These folks are making my favorite Oregon wines right now.

2016 Idlewild Wines ‘Flora & Fauna Red Wine-The Bird’ (Mendocino County, California)
Pizza was ordered to accompany the world’s greatest pizza wine. The Bird was up to the task as usual. Bright cherry fruit, florals, excellent acidity to cut through the cheese and toppings. Such a fun wine, that delivers every single time.

2016 Catena Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina)
Ever so slightly corked. It was in the lineup because one of the attendees really liked Malbec. Oh well.

Mystery wine #1
Ridiculously overripe, and alcoholic. Candied berry fruit with an overdose of vanilla. Best for cleaning the drain. This was an intentional joke, as some of the participants were drinkers of this wine. Served blind they hated it! 2017 Apothic Dark

2017 Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel (California)
Damn is this good. Ripe but restrained red fruit, full bodied but not remotely heavy. Just delicious. Big hit with the non-geek drinkers. Also locally available at a price that does not scare people. Big win for Bedrock!

2015 Ridge Red Wine Geyserville (Alexander Valley, California)
More elegant than the Bedrock, but just as delicious. Showing a bit of its oak, with touches of coconut along with the deep fruit. This is going to last a very long time, and be a great Geyserville. I can drink it now, but want to wait 10+ years as well.

2014 Limerick Lane Cellars Red Wine ‘Hail Mary’ (Sonoma County, California)
Drier profile than the two previous wines. Outstanding depth. Lots of black pepper to go along with black fruit. Well balanced. I want a steak!

2015 Once & Future Wine Mataro Oakley Road Vineyard
Plummy, a little bit spicy, and very long on the finish. Not showing much in the way of wildness right now, but it’s also rather coiled up. Time!

2014 Betz Family Winery Red Wine ‘Clos de Betz’ (Columbia Valley, Washington)
Suave! Gentle red fruit entry, excellent palate persistence. Shows its cab component on the back end, as the fruit turns more towards currant, and it tightens up from its somewhat “easy” Merlot entry. Needs time to knit together.

Mystery Wine #2
Why not make the last (and most expensive) wine a mystery as well. Very positive reviews for a wine that resembles the Betz, but at 2X volume. I had a bottle shortly after release that was disjointed, but this is really coming together. Still needs time, but certainly drinkable now. Not cheap, but it’s damn good. 2016 Bevan Cellars Red Wine ‘Ontogeny’

Fantastic notes, thx David. Can’t wait to try the 2017 Bedrock OV Zin once I unbury it.

Drat…left one out…

2013 Kutch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Red cherry, cranberry, bright acidity, refreshing, and notably persistent on the finish. Floral tones really kick in on the finish.

Nice notes David. It always feels good when most or all of the wines show well. We all have been in that ugly place where the majority of wines are off, closed, corked etc.

Tom

Buek, I love this idea and am going to steal it. Laura’s House has a big annual event after summer with a silent auction. I’ll suggest this to the Executive Director and if she likes it, we’ll offer it.

Excellent!

Buek, did you bring in a chef to cook a meal? Or, did you provide some light food? Did you do it at the donor’s home or yours? Just curious as to the other details.

Sent you a PM.

Thanks. I like the format and the idea, and have proposed it. This would be a gas to do, and my wife is onboard to help with the food, too.

Excellent. I normally let the winner have input on the wine theme. This year’s winner just told me to do what I want, so it ended up being 90% winemakers I have either met in person or “know” from our on line communities. The Apothic was an obvious exception.

And who is the winemaker at Apothic? Someone whose name we should know?

No idea. Part of the 10%.

I do this for Big Brothers Big Sisters, and used to do it for Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. Always extremely fun. A great way to meet people and a great way to raise money for charity. Bravo, David. Fine lineup too.