Went with William Segui to AO last week just to try the 2008 Chard and wound up trying all sorts of stuff. This is the first time I’ve had any of these in bottle. Talked with Jean and Henrik about their views on the wine as well. These were the bottles (along with others before it) that inspired me to rite the 06/07 evolution thread. I am not sure AO can wait to sell these because their tasting room must go through enormous amounts of wine, but these could use another 6-8 months before release. I would kill to try them again in September. I last had these in barrel around harvest and the big reds of 07 have all improved since then. AO’s winemaking style, increasingly native yeast in barrel ferments, is risky and adventurous and these are fascinating to follow.
2008 AO Chardonnay, Napa
Mostly from Carneros I believe, this was a Napa-style Chard with big ripeness and maybe a bit too much new oak for my tastes. Jean said they will be dialing it back in future vintages. Prototypical.
87pts
2008 AO Petit Verdot, “Stagecoach” $68
Super black color, super tannic and full-bodied. Coats the mouth. Actually made my tongue numb. Excellent for what it is, which is a curiosity. Good luck finding this. It might need 10 years.
91+?
2007 AO Syrah, Napa
Translucent purple color. Medium-full body. Pure violets and ripe black fruit. Again, very Napa styled. Missing the pepper and mineral notes that would put it into the excellent category for me. Drink over the next 5-7 years.
87pts
2007 AO Cabernet, Napa, $76
81% Cab, 11% Franc, 8% PV. 1000 cases. Full-bodied. Tight and tannic, with black fruit. Still fairly primary and almost backwards. The texture is excellent and this will get better in another 6-12 months. Seriously closed up right now.
90+pts
2007 AO Proprietary Red, Napa
Deep ruby-purple. Really good! Killer nose of pine needles and clack cherry. Massive in the mouth, this full-bodied wine also could use 6 months to round into form, but it was still exciting now. This could really gain in time.
92+pts
2007 AO To-Kalon Cab
There are just 3 barrels of this and they might not be releasing it except in the tasting room. Too bad, as right now it was the best of the group and is outstanding. Incredible mouthfeel with a full-bodied texture and dense concentrated nose of red and black fruit and spices. This was the only one of the reds that was completely resolved right now, but it bodes really well for the others. Wow.
95pts
2007 AO “Era” $160
Big fan of the 06 of this. 40% Merlot, 30% Cab, 17% Franc, 13%PV. This is the first bottled Napa wine I can’t give a confident single score too because it is all over the place. The mouthfeel is immense despite the fact it is mostly Right-Bank varietals. AO’s biggest wine ever? The nose, what nose there is, is not yet together and not easily described. Is it closed? Is it disjointed? Is it backwards? I think it just needs time and I have no idea how much. The tannins are big but they are already super smooth. No VA or any flaws I could detect but this is a beast that is untamed at the moment. This was 100% new barrel fermented. Is this what the 47 Cheval was like when young? Beats me. Given the excellence of the Prop Red and To-Kalon, I have to figure this will turn out even better in time. It might be astounding eventually. This is one where you can’t stop thinking about it afterwards because it is a mystery. For now I will stick with…
94-100pts
and some other notes…
2009 Hudson Chard barrel sample
Still cloudy. In used oak I believe. Medium-bodied and very creamy with telltale Hudson melon flavors. Apparently they are aiming for less oak and more finesse now, which I prefer. This will be blended into their AO Chard.
90-92pts
2009 AO “Sklar” Merlot
From a floor vineyard on the Silverado Trail side. Had two Merlot samples and this was the better one. Nice bramble red fruit flavors with a dense mouthfeel. Good stuff.
91-93pts
2009 AO “Stagecoach” Franc
Dense black-purple color. Full bodied. Bigger than most Cabs, this is tremendous red fruit and minerals. Would be killer on it’s own. Bet this winds up in the 09 Era.
92-95pts