This event was held Friday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Charlotte with Kevin Zraly as emcee. Twelve USA wineries were presenting wines they felt expressed their winery style or product. We had only about three to five minutes between wines.
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2009 Chehalem Ridgecrest Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge AVA, Oregon. Chehalem means “Peaceful Valley” or “Valley of Flowers.” Pretty ruby red color with transparency. Both floral and fruity with elegant cherry notes. Ready to drink or age up to 15 years. One of my favorites of the tasting and I came back to finish it after all the fuller bodied reds even though we were warned that the Pinots might not show well after the more tannic wines.
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2009 Adelsheim Bryan Creek Pinot Noir, Oregon. Much tarter. Legs on the side of the glass. Light color that fades towards rim. Adelsheim made real estate purchase in 1971 and is one of the pioneer Oregon wine producers.
On to Cabernets and blends.
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2007 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cyrus, Sonoma County. High region that experiences morning fog. Bought property in 1962 named after Cyrus Alexander, settler in valley. The wine is built for aging. Dark crimson color; semi-transparent. Nice nose, long finish, a bit peppery. Bordeaux blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Cabernet Franc, 6% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Can age up to 20 years.
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2007 Arietta Wines H Block Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend. 1996 was the first vintage for Arietta. The Cabernet Franc is dominant. Leggy and spicy. Can age 10-15 years. Andy McNamara, Master Sommelier, commented on getting dusty tobacco from the Cabernet Franch and cocoa or chocolate notes from the Merlot.
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2008 Melka Metisee La Mekerra Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California. 55% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Franc. I had had a taste of this the night before at the Melka Wine Dinner and liked it both times. Smooth and elegant with medium-to-long finish. Invites additional sips. The Cabernet Franc grapes are grown on volcanic ash and bring structure to the wine. Only 200 cases made. My notes from Thursday evening say “leggy, dark and opaque…mild tasting…red currant note, floral aspect, very gentle and elegant…pleasing on the palate and finish.”
Philippe Melka described it as a dry wine with acidity. -
2008 Verite Anakota Montana (in Knights Valley, Sonoma). Foothills. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Minerality. Leggy. Not terribly tannic although Kevin Zraly called it very tight with spices, balanced fruit and wood tannins.
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2008 John Anthony Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Oak Knolls), CA. (John Anthony Truchard.) Planted in 1990’s and early 2000’s. One of my favorites of the tasting. Red and black fruit (currants) elegant with finesse. Owner says this is a challenging vineyard in cooler eather. 2008 was a tough year in Carneros. Uses 100% new French oak, aged 20 months in oak. I found this wine unique compared to others–a different flavor profile of bright red and black fruit. Owner says the grapes provide smooth and silky juice from the start. One audience member described it as sweet or suggestive of cotton candy but I would call it more nicely ripe and mellow–not sweet.
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2009 David Arthur Vineyards Elevation 1147 Cabernet Sauvignon (Pritchard Hill, east of Rutherford sits on Rutherford Bench), CA. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Winery owner David Arthur Long says the style of the winery has moved from jammy wines to more finesse. This young wine was still quite tannic and acidic. Slightly pungent on the finish. Give it time in the cellar.
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2008 Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Stuart Bryan. In Mayacamas Mountains. Plantings on this mountain go back to Summit Wineries 1890-1920 (until Prohibition.) Owners have 40 acres on the mountain top and were grape growers until 1991 when they began making wines from their grapes. The reserve C.S. comes from the highest stie and oldest site and is a barrel selection of grapes from those sites. 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot. Deep purple-red color. Elegant Cabernet with a long finish. Chocolate cherry flavors. Another favorite along with the John Arthur and perhaps the Melka Metisse La Mekerra.
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2007 Araujo Estate Wines Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Calistoga, CA). James Hayes. Another hearty aroma with a lifted note I was having trouble identifying–perhaps like cassis or another liqueur. A hint of Cherry Herring tobacco. Mr. Hayes says this wine is never too tannic when young, yet can really age. Described as great currant flavors with spiciness (cinnamon), minerality and espresso. While I liked this one, I didn’t want to become too fond of it because I know it is pricy for me.
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2005 Dunn Vineyards Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. Mike Dunn. Quite dark and opaque. Tough vintage, small clusters, long hang time, fairly low alcohol, culling of clusters. Spent 30 months in 100% French oak. Much more approachable than the few other Dunn Howell Mountain wines I’ve tasted. This one may not require 15-20 years of cellaring. Kevin’s comments? “Mocha on first sniff that blows off; herbaceous, spiciness.” Has mellowed enough to be drinkable now.
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D R Stephens Estate Wines. Kelsey Herig. 2004 D R Stephens Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Moose Valley. St. Helena region, CA. Seven acres of estate-grown grapes. 100% French oak, 97% new oak barrels. 22 months in barrel. Kelsey commented on “blueberry and lavendar” in the wine. Drinkable now–shows some aging eight years after vintage and softer tannins. Nice. Kevin commented that in time fruit and tannins drop out of wine and acidity and alcohol remain.