Mixed Bag Of Notes: 01 Mt Eden Chard, 99 Inniskillin, 06 Bacon Fat, 07 RM SC, 08 HL SB......

WINE TALK
1

A few highlights of wines that I drank from my stash here and there durring my trip back to CA.

  • 2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (1/14/2010)
    Wonderful inky like blood red color with a nice tinge of purple. On the nose is tons of cracked pepper, sweet red fruits, perfume like herbaceous scents and cedar box. Palate is very polished with alcohol in check. Loads of glycerin blue and red fruits, crushed rocks, hints of minerality and allspice.Wonderful structure and acidity that hints that this wine will last for some time. Started to clamp down after an hour of air, seemed to show best as a pop and pour.
    From .375 (93 pts.)
  • 2008 Herb Lamb Sauvignon Blanc EII Napa Valley White Wine - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/14/2010)
    Wow, this is really something else for a Napa SB. The nose bursts with tons of fresh lemon zest, creamy meringue, citrus infused oak and bright starfruit. Palate is in perfect balance for my tastes with a touch of oak, a hint of creaminess and a zap of acidity and citrus fruit to keep it fresh and lively. Hints of spice and herbs on the finish give it an additional layer of complexity. By far the best SB from Napa I have ever had, a real treat! (92 pts.)
  • 1992 Beaulieu Vineyard Brut Réserve BV #1 - USA, California, Napa Valley, Carneros (1/14/2010)
    Still had some effervescent but a bit astringent on the palate. Nose was a tad funky as well, mushrooms, earth and a hint of lemon. Palate still was fresh but lacked any definition or focus. On night two the sherried/aged notes started to become a bit more predominant which was expected on day one. Fun wine to try, definitely a head scratcher in my book. (85 pts.)
  • 1995 Lancaster Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley (1/13/2010)
    Wow this bottle was very youthful and packed with tons of life. On the nose was sweet perfume like fruit, pencil shavings, vanilla oak, blue and red fruits all rolled with cedar box. Palate had tons of finesse with a polished tannin structure, fresh acidity and bright red fruits. Medium body which lacked a bit of concentration but really captivating on the nose. Tons of secondary flavours going on which developed into black tea, herbs and earthy like underbrush. Very BDX like in comparison to typical CA cabs and a real treat to drink. (93 pts.)
  • 1994 Cafaro Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (1/13/2010)
    There was a soft fruit core still lingering around but this wine was definitely over the hill for my tastes. Soy sauce and dusty earth on the nose with a slight hint of cherries. Palate had little acidity with a clipped finish. (80 pts.)
  • 2007 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/12/2010)
    Nice dark fruits on the nose, this wine needed air to really open up. No formal notes were taken but this wine definitely seems big when compared to other vintages but still possesses that nice SC fruit profile. Nice wine, I will let my remaining bottles sleep a few more years. (91 pts.)
  • 2006 Cabot Vineyards Syrah Bacon Fat “One Barrel” Kimberly’s - USA, California, North Coast, Humboldt County (1/11/2010)
    Popped and poured then consumed over dinner. Really tight upon opening and not giving much off on the nose. Iron, creosote, toasty oak and minerals. The palate was a bit hot and tight as well. After some air this started to open up and reveal crushed rocks, black fruits, black pepper and road tar. Palate fleshed out a bit with sweet glycerin fruits, black licorice, spice and oak. A really nice wine with huge structure and tons of promise for the future. (92 pts.)
  • 1999 Inniskillin Riesling Icewine - Canada, Ontario, Niagara Peninsula, Niagara Peninsula VQA (1/9/2010)
    I have never had an old ice wine and this is holding up nicely. Burnt orange color, almost amber like. Tons of apricot, orange marmalade and peaches on the nose. Palate is nice and fresh with more blood orange flavours and a great dose of acid to keep this nice and fresh. Very viscous and syrup like which provides plenty of pleasure. This is a ton of fun to really try an older wine from this region. This seems to age a bit faster than a traditional desert wine but still very nice. (92 pts.)
  • 2001 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Estate Bottled Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (1/9/2010)
    Wow, this is a powerhouse of a chard with tons of life left. Nose gives off loads of minerals, fresh cream, citrus fruit and smooth oak. Great deal of structure on the palate with a great creamy mouthfeel. Almost burgundian in nature and really fresh. Acid keeps the wine fresh and provides a nice backbone. I was really impressed with this and have no doubt that this will age another 10 years easy. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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It amazes me that among a wide variety of taste preferences (wine drinkers), the Cabot wines seem to have universal appeal. It’s not like they need any more praise on this forum, but time after time I see a range from those who prefer funky French stuff to the oakshake varieties enjoying Cabot.

I need to find me some more Mount Eden - while normally an '01 might be a babykiller, it’s still got some age for a Chardonnay. All the older Pinots and Cabs I’ve had of Mount Eden seem bright and young even at 30 years old. Nuts.

3

Major Franks turned me onto Cafaro and I found it to be a real good wine…the 90 anyway.

Happy?

4

Something definitely wrong with the Cafaro …or your palate…:slight_smile:. That wine is definitely not over the hill.

5

Bacon Fat is a great name for a Syrah.

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+1

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my palate can be busted at times but this was probably a bad bottle. I have had a few of his 86 reserves that were great.

He is also fun to do a tasting with. He works out of Miner Family and is always eager to share barrel samples of his most recent wines.

8

Had a '98 Inniskillin Ice Wine about a year ago, it was wonderful. It was like Creme Brulee and Creme Caramel in a bottle, I paired it with a rhubarb tart dessert and it worked great. Certainly fun to compare these to the likes of Sauternes, Tokaj, QdC, etc; all offer an enjoyable experience.

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It’s not the official name - it’s ‘One Barrel’ but has the nickname ‘bacon fat’ as that is its most obvious characteristic, and I believe was nicknamed by members of a forum back when first tasted at Family Winemakers - John and Kimberly will have to be more specific.

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surprising to read your bottle of “Bacon Fat” was tight upon opening as that was when we noticed the bacon aroma most readily. after a few hours in the decanter this aspect receded a bit but the wine improved measurably.

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HL SB is some rocking stuff for the coin.

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Loved the notes, as always. The Herb Lamb SB surely caught my attention–would really like to try that one. Gotta make a note to stock up on Mt Eden Estate Chards…

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I thought it was you who came up with that at the Sbicca OL last year after Families in Del Mar?

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forgive him as he’s getting old and forgetful neener

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No, that’s what I recall also, but I’m just being diplomatic!

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Why start now [wink.gif]

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New Years Resolution?

[bullshit.gif]

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I had the opportunity to meet John Cabot last week at a dinner at the Monte Rosso Vineyard hosted by Jacob Terrell. We had many great wines that night but the 2006 Kimberly’s was one of my favorites of the night. We ended up trading wines from our vineyards with each other and I opened the 2006 Cabot Kimberly One Barrel last night.

The wine had exactly what I love in Syrah. The nose offered up the expected bacon fat, white pepper, roasted meats and dark fruit. Mid weight palate with flavors of dark berries. Persistant finish with powdery tannins. The wine delivered a great syrah experience without the heaviness or high octane I experiience in so many California Syrah.

Nice job John! I guess there is more than one type of crop up there in Humboldt County that grows well.

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Thanks Jim,

I’m glad you enjoyed the one barrel. It was a real pleasure meeting you and Gloria. Can’t wait until text time. [berserker.gif]

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I want to try it too…we should find a bottle somewhere and taste away!