TN: TM: Kinkead Ridge, Pax, Noon, Hobbs, Kosta Browne, Fontodi

WINE TALK
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TM: KINKEAD RIDGE, PAX, NOON, HOBBS, KOSTA BROWNE, FONTODI - Game Night (1/30/2010)

I ventured across town to BBer George O’s home for Roland’s final game night. Roland will be heading up an oenology school in Switzerland and is leaving Ohio soon. He will be missed. The wines were popped and poured and enjoyed over a few hours.

  • 2006 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Rosella’s Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
    Ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose has cherry cough drops. On the palate, cherries and a lot of oak. While the oak was dominant, there is a lot of fruit too. Overall though, the style is restrained compared to prior efforts I have tried. KB wines are not my style for the most part, but this was enjoyable and certainly not that far outside my comfort level. I suspect die-hard KB lovers may find this a bit lacking though. (89 pts.)
  • 2007 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Ohio, Ohio River Valley
    I think this is one of the best wineries in Ohio and certainly the best for red wines. 2007 was also one of the best vintages in these parts. I served this blind and Jeff thought it was local. Most others found it to be very good although no one pegged it for a Cab. Light ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose has pretty strawberry notes with some cherries. A bit of an herbal note as well. Nice texture. This is a very good red wine. I don’t know about “varietal correctness” but it is delicious. For $17 Ohio, I am going to lay down a few. I think it ages well for 5 to 10 years as it got better all night long. (90 pts.)
  • 1999 Fontodi Syrah Case Via Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT - Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT
    I think this was past prime. A good wine, but I hoped for a bit more body to it. Ruby in color. The nose has raspberries and black raspberries. Medium bodied. On the palate, there is a lot of acidity. No problem, this is Italian. It put on some weight over time, but in never really achieved the level of complexity i was hoping for. Add that to the thin frame and it under performed my expectations. Still, a nice wine though. (89 pts.)
  • 2005 Noon Shiraz Reserve - Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek
    I don’t drink much Aussie Shiraz, but every so often one hits my sweet spot. This was one of those. The nose has clay, black raspberries and some pepper. Juicy texture. Slightly over oaked but lots of fruit (black raspberries) so it is not out of proportion. Lots of complexity underneath as well. Could use some air. Very nice. (93 pts.)
  • 2003 Hobbs Shiraz Gregor - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Range
    First time trying this wine. A Shirazarone. The nose has bourbon, raisins, with a slightly oxidized note. The palate is oak and raspberries. Drying tannins. I believe this was a correct bottle. This is a style I have seen more than a few times. Not for me. I tried to score it objectively, but that’s just not possible. One glass was more than enough. I never revisited it. (84 pts.)
  • 2004 Pax Syrah Lauterbach Hill - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
    Very impressive wine. Black raspberries and black pepper on the nose. The palate is complex with lots of fruit still left. Black raspberries and some graphite like notes on the finish. This kept unwinding with air. Really seems like a good time to start opening these. It is ageing quite well. (92 pts.)
  • 2002 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Eiswein - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
    This was a very nice wine. While it didn’t knock our socks off, it was quite tasty. Deep golden in color. Some caramel notes and slight floral tones with some apricot. Good acidity. Nice minerality. Full bodied. Nowhere near cloying. A good finish to the wines. (91 pts.)

We closed with a couple of beers:
Alagash Garamel - Nice sour cherries. Refreshing - B
Founder’s Black Biscuit - Roasted coffee notes, chocolaty. Strong, medium body. Bourbon Maple aged, but I did not get any maple notes. i liked this. A-.
Posted from CellarTracker

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Hey Loren! Wish Roland well for me. I am sorry I didn’t get a chance to chat with him again.

Interesting to see you score an OH dry to brak the 90pt barrier which I don’t think I’ve ever done that. We opened that KR CS last night and … er, had a different take. Both of us just found the wine massively candied and sweet. There is clearly a lot of fruit stuffing in this wine and it could age. It is impressive that an OH wine has the “flaw” of over-ripeness. We also had the '07 Cab Franc which was quite enjoyable

  • 2007 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, Ohio, Ohio River Valley (1/31/2010)
    Overwhelming sweetness and viciously candy. Lashing of the treatment give vanilla/rock candy. Some volatile elements too. Certainly gobs of fruit and structure there as well. Neither of us able to drink a glass, but this may go somewhere.
  • 2007 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc - USA, Ohio, Ohio River Valley (1/31/2010)
    Nice juicy fruit with currant-y elements and a clove-y underpinning. Well-knit, a touch of fruit sweetness but acids in balance too. Very enjoyable.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Interesting. I will need to try the CF. Sounds like we had very different bottles. None of us noted a candied sweetness. In fact Jeff K, who liked it the least, found a green streak in it.

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You have - it was in the Clash. Top Ohio wine.

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Fascinating stuff on the Ohio wine, Loren. I’m a native Clevelander, and I find some Ohio wineries I’ve visited to be rather aimless in their production. Not sure I’d be growing Cab Sauv. [shock.gif]

Nice to see a decently made version, however.

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The last two years I have put together the “Ohio vs Michigan Wine Clash” where we have a competition between the best wines of both states. (Loren has been one of my judges both years.) The Lake Erie perimeter is the best known viticultural region of Ohio, but Cab Sauv is never particularly good. Cab Franc has been become the go-to variety in Ohio. A few of the wineries up along Lake Erie do a good job though most thrive on tourist trade and have little incentive for quality.

Kinkead Ridge is from down by the Ohio River in the way southern of the state. This area was the THE viticultural region in the US before the Civil War and a handful of producers are working on reclaiming it. KR is one of the best.

If you are interested in further results of the competition : http://www.ohiovsmichiganwineclash.com

If you have a chance to visit and check out a fellow non-traditional viticultural area, let me know. Be glad to take you around, pop some bottles, etc. There is also an upcoming conference on marketing for these non-traditional areas (incl NY) which is a fascinating chance to taste wines from all over the US. (No affliation - I go as an interested observer.)

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