CLONYC 15- Mike Hirby and his wonderful wines!---IMAGES ADDED

WINE TALK
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Last night the CLONYC gang had the pleasure of hosting Mike Hirby and his wines. If you ever get the opportunity to meet with Mike, and taste his wines, you would sure consider yourself lucky. He is a one of the most easy going humble & downright friendliest guys I know, who just happens to make amazing wines!
Mike brought us a dozen or so wines to sample. I have always been a fan of his Realm wines, and the 2007s are really the schnizzle they have been hyped to be. Mike’s own label, Relic was well represented as well. Great fruit sources and a very imaginative winemaker can lead to some fantastically wonderful wines. Wines which paint sometimes seems to spill out of the box, as in the example of The Sage, his white blend (44% Chardonnay, 22% Viognier, 22% Roussanne, and 12% Marsanne) proved…

I would like to thank Mike for his generosity and graciousness in coming east to meet with this humble group of wine-lovers. We are lucky beyond belief to be able to have amongst us such talented and just downright nice winemakers, like Mike who share our passion. A very very great night!

The staff at North Square outdid themselves once again. Great food and service. I am so glad that CLONYC has a new home.

1971 Ch Haut Brion Blanc- Mark was kind enough to bring this. A very lively wine with hints of its former self showing like a veiled senior citizen. Some fruit, some acid, some life. Great light-salmon color. A bit short and maybe a wee bit simple, but enjoyable nonetheless.

2008 Relic The Sage- I really enjoyed the dimension and profile of this. I get the Euro influence Mike said he was seeking… The nose was all citrus, apricots and tall grass. A deft balance with some extra character filled nuances coming toward the end. I take it the Roussanne and Marsanne were making themselves known. Beautiful.

2008 Relic Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast- My short experienced self (on Sonoma Pinot) welcomed this one. The nose had loads of cherries & cola some wild flowers. Very interesting as it sat in the glass… A very pretty wine that revealed the Bing cherry, cola, and a hint of earth. I loved the character and tight-rope balance this showed. One that Mike said only gets better in 2009. I only ask….how?

2007 Relic Artefact- (96% CS, 2% PV, 2% Syrah) what an amazing wine. The nose was singing of all good things to come. Black fruits rule the night and this is the opening act: Dense and plush with currant, black cherries, plums and vanilla. A deeply complex serious wine that changes moment to moment. What an interesting wine!

2007 Relic Rockledge Vineyard- I have been a fan of the Rockledge Vineyards stuff for a few years now. Mike now gets that fruit for his own label. This was dark and brooding. The nose was restrained. On the palate this is as serious as a heart attack. Dark, dense, cassis and black cherry driven, this is a bit tannic and unyielding. Plush and masculine, with a long black filled fruit finish. A fantastic wine that wears its name like a badge of honor. I love it.

2004 Rockledge Vineyards The Rocks- For a bit of contrast. What contrast? This is as dark and muscular as the 2007, and even more wrapped in tannins if possible. A similar profile to the 2007 as well. This is a staple in my cellar, one I ‘go to’ when I want to remember why I will always love Napa Cabs—as if I need reminding.

2007 Realm The Tempest- The tempest and I are like a bickering couple: sometimes we see eye to eye, but more times not. Strangely, the year it was cab heavy (2005?) was that one time we did. Medium weight and reddish black profile, there was great structure and finesse. Its juts than damn Merlot that gets in the way… [basic-smile.gif]

2007 Realm ‘The Falstaff’- Cab Franc blend. This is a head spinner and eye popper! Super aromatics with loads of black and blue fruits. Some plums, some black cherries, and some camphor. I loved it. It is one you can sit with all night long and never get tired of. Elegance and pizzazz all in one. A no brainier buy.

2007 Realm ‘the Bard’- Usually not in my top group as well, this years is exceptional. A dark fruited currant/cassis/kirsch profile with a beautiful vanilla nose that is all joy. What a pretty and graceful wine. Wow!

2007 Realm Farella- These designates are always so great to taste alongside one another. This has all the Farella stuffing I am used to with a bit more elegance and style that I can remember, broaching toward the Crane territory. Great balance and length. Very nice indeed.

2007 Realm Beckstoffer Dr Crane- How do you spell WOW. This is all I ever remember it to be, but better. How the hell can this be so? Dark, brooding, intense, aromatic, elegant, muscular, balance, length, potential, love. This changed in 15 minutes to be even more of what I just said: more dark, more brooding……A cabernet drinker’s cabernet. Want to make someone happy? Buy them one of these. I…say….no….more.

2007 Realm Beckstoffer To Kalon- Always the crowd pleaser, this again brings it to new heights. Always vying neck and neck with the Crane for first place, you need a photo finish for this race. Dark and ominous, this has tons of character and structure, with gobs of the blackest fruits known to man. We need another work for ‘blackest fruits’—ok….we need 2 new words.

2008 Relic Rockledge Vineyard barrel sample- Mikes’ term for picking some of these 08’s was ‘picking sweet’. I never heard the term myself until last night. This is a pure and clean expression of a super young un-bottled. The stuffing is all there, its just all covered with the baby fat. Sure, it’s a bit primary, but a red/black fruit profile is in there somewhere. I will love to sample this after it’s been under cork for 6 months.

2008 Realm Dr Crane barrel sample- similar to the Relic, but a bit less primary, and slightly more characters peeking through. A sweet fruit profile which I really enjoy. Chewy, luscious and exotic. The class is evident. Again, let’s see where we go with this. Mike spoke of the difficulties encountered in 2008. Time will tell.

*All reds double decanted back into its own bottle 2.5 hours early.

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Mike, thanks for the excellent write up. I have to agree with your notes on the Realm wines with the exception of the BTK…only wine that I haven’t had the chance to taste yet, so I cannot give an impression.

That Cab Franc is out of this world and the Dr. Crane is something to seek out.

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Hated to miss this one! Did you have the lovely Lulu serving you again? flirtysmile

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Hope you feel better, and yes she did.
Her WOTN last week was the Congruence!

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Beautiful, intelligent and a great palate? [basic-smile.gif] I’m in love. Let’s have some more dinners there soon! flirtysmile

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A fun night! The wines were very enjoyable, and to me, the standouts were the 07 Falstaff, 07 Farella and 07 Tokalon. Three very different wines, but each excellent in its own right. It was amazing how approachable some of these wines are at such a young age.

Thanks Mike P for once again putting together a wonderful evening.

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A big thank you to Mike Pobega for setting this up and to Mike Hirby for coming out and spending the time with a group of NYC Cab lovers! I will admit that I knew basically nothing of these wines other than that there was a bit of hype surrounding them. I was prepared to come in and be the curmudgeon but these wines seriously impressed me overall and Mike did a fantastic job of spending the time to discuss these wines with us and give us plenty of detail about clones, sites, and the winemaking process. It was a fantastic evening.

  • 2007 Relic Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Rock Ledge Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (11/24/2009)
    This wine stood out in our first flight of reds for its distinct red fruit notes and ruby color. With the Artefact and 04 Rockledge on either side, the color was noticably lighter. The nose had intense dusty soil and mineral aromas, and a hint of black tea. Bright red currant fruit on the palate with noticeably less density and lots more tannin throughout. The finish was a little tight and showed lingering tannin. Coming back to this at the end of the night, it had expanded considerably, getting darker in color and showing more of the black fruits that the 04 displayed. This was my WOTN and I am going to be very interested in how this wine develops. (94 pts.)
  • 2007 Realm Cellars Cabernet Franc The Falstaff - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (11/24/2009)The Falstaff is a Cabernet Franc based blend, with much of the Cab Franc coming from the Pope Valley AVA. The color is a beautiful ruby hue. Right off the bat, the aromatics show more spice and red fruit. On the palate, the wine is silky smooth with a bit more lightness than the Tempest, revealing huge cherry and red currant fruit and notes of rhubarb and lavender with huge length. My kind of stuff! (93 pts.)
  • 2007 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Farella Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/24/2009)
    Notes start to get a little fuzzy at this point, but this was a “WOW!” wine. Big, dense juicy, huge wine. Gobs of black fruit, balanced by tannin, mineral, and earth notes. Stands out in this flight for its depth and power vs the more supple Merlot and Cab Franc based blends. (92 pts.)
  • 1971 Château Haut-Brion Blanc - France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan (11/24/2009)
    Many thanks to Mark, who brought this as a treat for the group. This was a fantastic way to start off the night! Intense golden color. On the nose, some hints of oxidation and botrytis? and a touch of beeswax. On the palate, still plenty of rich lemon curd notes followed by hints of zest and spices. On the finish, this wine had searing acidity, which made me think there was more to be seen so I set it aside instead of quaffing it down. 3hrs later at the end of the dinner, the acid had faded almost completely and the wine was much softer on the palate, the oxidative notes blew off and the waxy lemony fruit and floral notes followed by clove and spices was totally intoxicating! What a great opportunity to have tasted this. (91 pts.)
  • 2004 Rockledge Cabernet Sauvignon The Rocks - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (11/24/2009)
    Mike brought this along as a treat for us but also to give us a point of reference for the Rock Ledge wines he is making for himself under his Relic label. This was also the first vintage of Rockledge Cab he made. Another point of uniqueness is that this wine is all from Clone 7, which Mike really likes for the soils in this rocky vineyard. Dark ruby/purple in the glass. Black and brooding, with notes of ripe plums. Supple on the palate with more black fruit, this wine to me was also starting to faintly show some secondary characteristics of cedar and spice. (91 pts.)
  • 2007 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (11/24/2009)
    Another wow! wine. Cropped at about 1.8 tons/acre, this is a big, muscular wine with broad tannins and huge fruit notes. It seemed to keep adding on weight with time. It seemed to start off with more high toned red fruits in the nose and expanded on the palate to reveal darker black fruits and lots of dirt and earth. Very nice. (91 pts.)
  • 2007 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville (11/24/2009)
    Huge and opulent fruit expression compared to the Dr. Crane. Goopy black fruit and lots of baby fat, bounded by firm but somewhat silky tannins. I preferred the structure of the Dr. Crane, but this is built for the hedonistic Cab lover. (91 pts.)
  • 2007 Realm Cellars The Tempest - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/24/2009)
    Merlot-dominated blend. A soft, restrained nose of spicy vanilla oak and cherries. Big, supple and juicy red plum and currant fruit on the palate, with a velvety smooth mouthfeel. Persistent on the palate and some fine tannins on the finish. Very nice. (91 pts.)
  • 2007 Relic Wines Artefact - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/24/2009)
    Opaque ruby purple color. Dense blackberry and ripe black current fruit on the nose. On the palate, soft and supple with more black fruit with ripe plum notes and licorice, as well as a creamy texture with lots of glycerin. The finish has some chocolate notes and grippy tannins. Definitely a wine for instant gratification. This wine inspires thoughts of Korean soy-marinated Bryan Flannery skirt steak pinwheels! (91 pts.)
  • 2008 Relic Wines The Sage - USA, California (11/24/2009)
    Intense nose of crushed stone fruit pits, white peach, and hibiscus. Cloudy/leesy in the glass. On the palate, more white fruit, a touch of beeswax and spice, followed by a rich tropical note. The finish is smooth with a touch of creaminess and bright acidity. This was a really pleasant, refreshing wine that takes me back to seafood and warm summer weather. (91 pts.)
  • 2007 Realm Cellars The Bard - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/24/2009)
    A big, juicy, forward (relatively speaking) Cabernet Sauvignon based blend. Texured ripe black currant and blackberry fruit, nice spice, more forward oak. A crowd favorite, but less interesting to me. (90 pts.)
  • 2008 Relic Wines Pinot Noir - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (11/24/2009)
    The first vintage from the 1-acre Avion Vineyard. No vineyard designation because they came in midway through the growing season and dropped about 40% of the fruit to make this wine. The 2009 will have the vineyard designation as Mike was able to farm it from start to finish. A brooding, intense nose of medicinal cherry liqueur and dusty earth. Aggressive swirling coaxes out more candied fruit notes. On the palate, the wine is supple and velvety with an undertone of citrus acidity. More velvety cherry notes with cola, clove, and spice notes. Dusty tannins clamp down in the finish. Very impressive. Can’t wait to try the 2009! (90 pts.)
  • 2008 Realm Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (11/24/2009)
    BARREL SAMPLE Mike pulled this out of barrel about 10 days ago when he shipped the wines east for the dinner. Dark, dark ruby color in the glass. HUGE black currant and blackberry fruit. Very perfumed aromatics of spicy oak, violets, and smoke. More supple on the palate than the 07, hugely ripe, fruity, and silky. Can’t wait to see where this goes. (91-93pts)
  • 2008 Relic Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Rock Ledge Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena (11/24/2009)
    BARREL SAMPLE Mike pulled this from barrel about 10 days ago when the wines for the dinner were shipped east. Intense opaque ruby/purple in the glass. Very floral aromatics of violets and lavender, with some spice and vanilla, followed by dusty, earthy notes. Huge supple black fruit coats the palate and lingers long. Tannins clamp down a bit after the middle and ride through the finish. Softer and less muscular right now than the 2007, Mike has earned a new fan of this vineyard! (93-95pts)

Posted from CellarTracker

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As I sit here in my home sipping 2008 Relic Rockledge Vineyard barrel sample, all I can say is: Nice notes, Brent.
Next, it’s the rest of the Realm sample…

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Cabernet Zen…

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That’s what an epiphany looks like while it’s happening… [basic-smile.gif]