TN: 2004 Lone Madrone - "Alproja" (Paso Robles, CA)

Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m · May 5, 2009, 7:04am

4/27/2009
– decanted for 1 hour before tasting –
– tasted non-blind over a couple of days –
– 80% Tannat, 20% Merlot –

NOSE: very alcoholic; a bit spicy with deep florals and rich dusty oak; non-descript rich/concentrated red fruits; hint of V/A

BODY: very dark purple color of medium-deep depth; full bodied; sediment present.

TASTE: This wine is a huge heady monster! Very rich and sweet with flavors of cedar, loganberry and plum; flecks of black licorice on the medium-length finish (approx. 30 sec.); moderately alcoholic, which should come as no surprise since this is labeled at a whopping 16.74% alcohol; there 's a slightly off-putting flavor on the finish – I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I get the sense it’s from overly concentrated fruit; the palate is full, and the tannins were surprisingly well-integrated.

B: 50, 5, 10, 15, 6 = 86

M_M_c_C_a_l_l · May 5, 2009, 2:11pm

Egads! Twice the alcohol of your Prüm Kabinett!

Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m · May 5, 2009, 2:31pm

yeah … I really must start paying attention to the alcohol level when’ I’m buying wine … I usually just go around from winery to winery tasting through their lineup, buying what I like without paying any mind to the alc. levels. I buy those I like, sit on 'em for a year or so, then am often disappointed that they don’t show as well at home (too alcoholic) as they did in the tasting room. I think the tasting room format helps highly alcoholic wines like this one because high alcohol doesn’t stand-out as much with a smaller tasting room pour as it does with a regular pour at home, and I think the high alcohol stands a greater chance of going unnoticed (at least by me) when tasting through a load of other wines … perhaps detection of alcohol is also made more difficult when one is spitting tastes … sure, you can still taste the alcohol, but you don’t get the same chance to see if it finishes hot. A recent spate of alcohol bomb wines has me resolved to be more attentive to this in the future.

M_M_c_C_a_l_l · May 5, 2009, 4:51pm

Brian G r a f s t r o m:

yeah … I really must start paying attention to the alcohol level when’ I’m buying wine … I usually just go around from winery to winery tasting through their lineup, buying what I like without paying any mind to the alc. levels. I buy those I like, sit on 'em for a year or so, then am often disappointed that they don’t show as well at home (too alcoholic) as they did in the tasting room. I think the tasting room format helps highly alcoholic wines like this one because high alcohol doesn’t stand-out as much with a smaller tasting room pour as it does with a regular pour at home, and I think the high alcohol stands a greater chance of going unnoticed (at least by me) when tasting through a load of other wines … perhaps detection of alcohol is also made more difficult when one is spitting tastes … sure, you can still taste the alcohol, but you don’t get the same chance to see if it finishes hot. A recent spate of alcohol bomb wines has me resolved to be more attentive to this in the future.

This has always been my experience as well. Steve and I used to visit wine country here several times a year. We ended up with God knows how many cases of rich wines that we loved in tasting rooms and then hated with dinner. I don’t like to draw abitrary lines in the sand, but 14.5%+ wines that I enjoy are always the exception to the rule.

One strategy I’ve found is to look for wine in restaurants that I know put a lot of effort into their lists. I don’t mean places that try to impress, but rather, places that focus on harmonious food-wine pairings instead of just going with big name producers. Two local places in particular, Tabla and Castagna, are so good at it that I pilfer their lists for wines to try at home.

Linda_Baehr · May 6, 2009, 12:36am

I don’t know if I have had the '04 version of this wine, but the Tannat seems like it can hide alcohol pretty well. I actually like this wine. Go figure.