Week 3 - Virtual Tasting for Charity - BerserkerDay wines, Go Todd Go!!!

WINE TALK
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One thing you’ll get no argument about - that is one seriously ugly sweater [wow.gif] .

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It’s all your fault.

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We can all agreed Ed Sandler is the nicest winemaker on the planet.

  • 2014 Sandler Wine Company Pinot Noir Peterson Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (12/9/2016)
    This was a Wineberserker Day purchase, I think, can’t pass up Sandler wines regardless. Pop n pour. Deep cranberry color with excellent clarity, a real sparkler in the glass. Nose shows strawberry and pepper. Juicy palate of cherry and dried cranberry with more of the spicy note building towards the finish. Has a real “delicious” factor. Fine granular tannins and medium acidity. Two thumbs up.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Here’s one from a winery that I think made its BD debut last year. I had resolved to try at least a few producers I knew nothing about, and this gamble paid off.

2012 Greyscale Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford:. Pure Cabernet fruit with a little Rutherford dust and a little spice, supported by fine tannins. A very solid effort.

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Not sure how I missed this one last BerserkerDay…

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I love Rhone wines and I’ve appreciated Larry Schaffer’s participation here, so giving his wines a shot was a no-brainer.

2010 Tercero Verbiage (Rouge):. Ripe brambly fruit but not cloying thanks to a meaty peppery savory twist and plenty of acid, tasted alone there is a little bitterness but it smooths out with food. Pretty tasty and a good value, it will be interesting to see what more time does to it, as it has plenty of stuffing.

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Opened a 2012 Liquid Farm Chardonnay Four (Santa Rta. Hills) tonight at a holiday party. I poured a hefty glass since the crowd was clearly in a partying mood. As expected, the bottle was decimated within minutes, so I nursed it over 2 hours.

Showing lots of quality oak and medium body and with moderated fruit and a nice acid streak. I would definitely venture a taste if I saw a bottle open in 5 years.

This was a 2014 BD pickup and I have to say the the LF team are some of the nicest and most fun folks in the biz that I have run across. There’s not much that I wouldn’t do for a pour of their 2011 White Hill.

I managed to sneak a selfie among the crowd.
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Going through my notes, and here are few I would have never tasted/purchased if not for BD

  • 2015 Jean Edwards Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Dalla Gasperina Vineyard - USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford (11/26/2016)
    A year after we had the inaugural SB of JE we decided to try the '15 vintage. Well, I am not sure it is as good as the '14 at present, but 1/2 a bottle empty vote says it was very good.
    medium finish compared with the '14. Nice minerals on the nose, but more lime than I recall on the '14 (even notably more? second taster said I overestimated it). The grapefruit notes are somewhat similar to the '14 iirc on the palate. Very similar color (bright gold/yellow, almost carbon copy of the '14). Does not feel like a full bodied SB. We will check tomorrow to see if more spices open up with longer decanting. Enjoyable wine. Voted with the glasses. (90 pts.)

A tribute also to Congruence…(Fair disclosure, got about ~1 case of some of the wines)

  • 2008 Congruence Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Napa Valley (11/16/2016)
    Consistent with the previous notes. I will note that the decanting time needed seems to have been surprisingly increasing. I thought about 2 hours would be sufficient. That said, the participants enjoyed it alot (again, almost all noted that 2 hours was not sufficient decant). Vote of the bottle- nearly complete.
    (Current mean CT reflects well, imho)

Will put few more later :slight_smile:

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Eric is a good guy and completely obsessed with making PN. He’s been a long time supporter of Falltacular, nuff said. I’ve made multiple purchases from him over the years. Ladd, along with Sandler, are must have purchases for me.

  • 2008 Ladd Cellars Pinot Noir Moore Ranch Vineyard Russian River Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (12/11/2016)
    I was a little excited and pulled this forgetting it was my last bottle. We were doing shrimp Thai curry at home and this just seemed like a perfect fit. Sweet dried strawberry and lots of herbal niceties. A smack of white pepper and oak/stem at the finish. Tannins are fully resolved.

Posted from CellarTracker

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Few more… Todd, you certainly increased the quality of our tastings over time [cheers.gif]



First, a tribute to one of the board’s favorites and undoubtedly the best, most stable cab in Calistoga. I have no doubts there would be many repeaters and many first timers that would enjoy it

  • 2006 EMH Cabernet Sauvignon Black Cat - Napa Valley (11/24/2016)
    Revisited 18 months after the last tasting. Still as advertised, and I think it has a bit more of the earthy notes. Nice finish. Great match to thanksgiving meal. It was my favorite of the EMH cabs in the line, though I think the votes of others were either '06 or the '14 (close call between them). Rule of thumb- both will not fade soon. Pick the one you’d like most. (Scored before at 93-4 and hold the score)
  • 2014 EMH Cabernet Sauvignon Black Cat - Napa Valley (11/24/2016)
    I think Riesling fan got the foundations well. I would add that the fruit floral is very enjoyable (not over the top as with other '14 or very young wines). Classic member in the line of EMH taste. It was an ‘early view’ as noted, but the future of this bottle is very promising. In fact, some of the tasters ranked this one almost at the same level of the '06. Enjoyable.
  • 2008 EMH Cabernet Sauvignon Black Cat - Napa Valley (11/19/2016)
    Over two nights. Surprisignly, it needed longer decanting than we recalled (Two hours was not sufficient, 3 plus it showed well, second night it showed perfect). The rest is in line with previous tastings. Excellent cab in it of its own, and excellent QPR. Gave it 93 and 94s before, and I would have again (but no grade added to avoid biasing the scale).

Not going downhill anytime soon, and very rewarding if you drink it now.

Second, a tribute to few of the small, entrepenuer wine importers who offered wonderful champagnes for BD deal, not on the main radar and at great QPR

  • 2011 Ulysse Collin Champagne Rosé Les Maillons - France, Champagne (11/16/2016)
    It was memorable when opened in October, so I put it on standby for a dinner last night. Every person walking in saw the color, and on the visual alone requested that I’d open the bottle. On the nose, ‘as advertise’. Lots of floral and some more berries than I recalled. Great minerals Long, long bubbles (as recalled from few weeks ago). Worked great with several Greek dishes last night. I will note that while I find it personally (though extra brut) abit on my upper limit of sweetness for extra brut, the others have determined it is perfect. And, hi, they finished the bottle within about an hour. Actions speak louder than words, and nice finish. Too bad it was the last bottle, but caring is sharing :slight_smile: (93 pts.)
  • 2011 Ulysse Collin Champagne Rosé Les Maillons - France, Champagne (10/27/2016)
    Drank over two nights, and it did not seem to fade at all (actually, was even better second night). Color wise- Among the darker rosé I had, somewhat more berry than I expected first night (balanced second night). Lots of floral on the nose. Long, long bubbles. It is an extra brut but on the upper limit for an extra brut on my palate (aka somewhat sweeter than I initially estimated in night one, more balanced night two). Great minerals and medium plus finish. It did not fade in the evening, and the vote with the glass was pretty clear (requests for refill were solid and repeated). My take is: If you like your rosé on the floral side with minerals, dry but abit sweeter than a typical ‘dry’- this is the one. The color is darker (don’t expect the salmon pale). Can fit full course meal as well.

Vote of the wallet, fwiw- will attempt to get few more.

(Hard to determine a single number grade, but it would be 93 or plus fwiw) (93 pts.)

  • NV Bourgeois-Diaz Champagne ´3C - France, Champagne (10/15/2016)
    Very enjoyable champagne for a weekend. Great daily plus drink. It is a relatively dominant PN based (46% Pinot Noir, 37% Pinot Meunier, and 17% Chardonnay). Great goldish bright color. Long bubbles. Dry, felt even a bit dryer than I’d expect for 2g/l but I prefer it on the dryer side.
    On the nose- nice fruits, a bit peach and flowers, a bit of the apple.
    More of the apple (green apples) on the palate, a bit less of the lemon. I enjoyed the minerals on the palate and the finish (A nice medium finish). Drinks well above its price range, and it makes a very good return for the purchase. Vote of the bottle- 3 refills requests received and the bottle has less than 1/2 glass left. Did open up abit more during the evening. Great bio dynamic wine for those who are seeking one specifically.

~91, for what a single number is worth. Summary: I don’t think one would go wrong picking this one and opening for a group, if the preference is for an extra brut satisfying all.

(Note: the wine tasted went into the bottle ~3/2012 and disgorgement date is ~3/2015)

Postscript: A friend we trust tasted the wine recently and we asked her to define it in two words, she noted- green apple. (91 pts.)

Third a tribute to a repeated offering on BD - FWIW, I tasted it for the first time on BD offer, and I took a case on the follow up purchase. One of the best QPR decisions made on BD

  • 2007 Virage Vineyards - Napa Valley (10/22/2016)
    We decided we wanted a reliable, aged well wine for dinner. Delivered with guarantee :slight_smile: The decanting time is shorter now (basically, PnP). It did not seem to fade over the evening. Very nice earthy notes from PnP. As others noted, the nose (and floral) are notable even from a nice distance from the glass. Finish somewhat longer than I recalled, well balanced fruits on the palate. For the rest see previous notes. I think it may be a real 93+ now (even 94). Can’t find a better qpr for the price we got it. Best deal on well aged wine we had for a long time. Glad we have more to enjoy for the next few years. Drink, enjoy and drink again

(we left abit for day 2 tasting. So far, very good. Does not seem to fade

Fourth, two wines that we would not have had if not for BD…

  • 2012 Graft Wines Conviction - North Coast, Mendocino County (10/2/2016)
    Very good BD deal, classic Grenache tastes. On PnP the herbs were (indeed) very dominate. It took some time for the fruit to balance and come forward on nose and palate. About 2 hours later it was indeed well balanced. The raspberries/strawberries do come to the front. Very good introductory grenache blend, so to speak and makes great match both for drinking on its own, and for base for other dishes (we used about 1 glass for Hungarian goulash and it worked great) .

90-91. Nice QPR. Probably 91 on day 2 (90 pts, and indeed was 91 on the second day, and second bottle.)


One I actually refilled on from BD deal–

  • 2014 Cellars 33 Grenache Blanc Clay Station Vineyard - Central Valley, Borden Ranch (9/10/2016)
    It is a great BTG at home on a weekend early evening. A nice one that drinks above its price range for daily drinks. Pretty consistent with my previous notes: lemon and floral on the nose, lemon and peach (lower than before) on the palate. Great minerals tasting. I would note that the balance (per another TN) is usually getting ‘stabilized’ after 10 minutes or so in the glass.
    ~90 this time (90 pts.)

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The palate is similarly dominated by floral notes, which are overlaid on a canvas of tropical fruits; guava, lychee, peach and mineral notes are distinctly noted on the long finish. Very nice acidity makes this a great food wine, but it was also delicious on its own. An elegant take on the grape. 13.3%abv and completely dry and completely delicious. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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I wanted to open this after seeing a nice note on this wine on Terrorist and after struggling with some Alsatian Gewurz. This wine was much more in my wheelhouse, dry vs sweet and light/crisp vs heavy/concentrated. I ordered from Briceland on my first BerserkerDay (technically shortly after BD as it was slotted late in the day and I missed the offer) and ended up with a case of his wines. I’ve considered Andrew a friend ever since. Well done.

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  • 2012 The Great Oregon Wine Company Pinot Noir Rascal - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/12/2016)
    Simple but satisfying. Ripe cherry and strawberry fruit, round mouthfeel, a little earth and chalk on the finish. Great daily drinker. So sorry Linda chose not to participate in Berserker Day 2016. This is a no brainer $75/case purchase.
    image.jpg

Posted from CellarTracker

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Hey Corey!

Thanks for posting. I appreciate you taking the time. I am glad you liked that wine. Some people are surprised by how dry and tart it is. I have been surprised at how well it has been received when I pour it at tastings. People like it, even those who say they don’t like tart wines.

About this friends thing… Who’s Corey? neener

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2009 Cabot Syrah Humboldt County - Picked up the 09/10/11 6 pack in January and definitely pleased. I’d call it mid-point on the Parkerized v AFWE dimension. This, to me, offers a different, more feral dimension with some Parliament Funkadelic soul.

And since people complained about seeing too many old white guys on Frank’s thread, click here → Leigh George - Washingtonian to see the more attractive 3/4s of my family
Cabot.jpg

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More Briceland here: 2013 Phelps Vineyard Pinot Noir. Dark ruby tinted yet translucent. Crisp Cherry, lots of sous bois, hint of sandalwood on the medium finish. Lighter bodied, higher acid than many Oregon pinots that I’ve tried, yet with a pine/evergreen aspect that I sometimes find in California Pinot. The acid more than tannin gives it a structure that held up well for several days.

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I know I have some BerserkerDay wines but I have been traveling and couldn’t get to the locker to dig some out. So I did the best I could and opened this.


  • 2014 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Berserkers’ Cuvée - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (12/13/2016)
    To start with, I am not a big fan of 2014. That said, they are so young, it is too soon to judge. Upon opening, this wine shows a lot of ripe fruit on the nose a bit of a bubble gum thing. This is my second bottle so I knew about that and gave it 6 hours of airtime. After that, the wine shows great earthy aromatics along with it fresh fruit. The palate was also darker and very structured. Whole cluster elements. Has come nice xmas spice too. I will not open another bottle for at least 3 years … ahhh who I am I kidding. I’m sure I’ll open another next year.

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Is that a mag, Jason, or do you just have, um, tiny hands?

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I will add one more - This was purchased as part of a 6 bottle vertical for the 2015 BD.

2004 Lagier Meredith Syrah - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (12/13/2016)
Pop and pour and tasted with food (NY Strip steak and potato, in case you were wondering).
Followed for about 3 hours both with food and then on its own.
Re-corked using a Vacu-vin and will revisit again.

At first, the nose shows some cherry cough syrup and alcohol. After a few minutes, things mellow out and the heavy alcohol notes dissipate.
Big rich black fruits - black cherry - and a beefy (beef blood) and black pepper element that adds a savory component to the wine. Some black licorice root as well. Wonderful clean fruit - no barnyard/horse saddle flavors to distract. Nice texture.
Good acidity, particularly on the finish as it helps lift the wine from the initial impression of ripe fruit.
Quite enjoyable.

I recently tasted the 2003 vintage of this wine; this shows an elegance that was not fully present in the 2003 version of this wine.


I hope BD 2017 has some more Lagier-Meredith wines. The verticals are a nice addition to the cellar. (Thanks Carole).

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I enjoyed three this week. The first was from the first BerserkerDay I participated in, I had yet to enjoy one of Merrill’s wines and from the notes it looked like it was in a great drinking window. Boy is this a nice wine!

  • 2007 EMH Cabernet Sauvignon Black Cat - USA, California, Napa Valley (12/9/2016)
    Gorgeous nose of black currant, blackberry/raspberry, black cherry, and violets/potpourri. The palate matches all of the fruits/florals and adds a bit of herbs/earth. Drinking very well now but no hurry, this is medium-bodied and the medium acid/tannins are integrating nicely; very balanced. A well-made Napa cab that shows everything the grape/region should while restrained to that and nothing more. (93 pts.)

The second was from Campesino - one of the best QPR producers out there and I had yet to try their Grenache. I buy from them nearly every release they have in addition to BerserkerDay (psst… the latest was yesterday and the quantities don’t look huge. It doesn’t count against your BerserkerDay budget if you buy it now :wink: )

  • 2013 Campesino Grenache Steel Plow Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (12/11/2016)
    Aromas of red fruits, tons of herbs and interestingly both red and black licorice. The palate shows red cherry/raspberry, red licorice and herbs. Light acid/tannins add a bit of structure. Balanced and tasty. Drinking well now but I look forward to trying my last bottle in a few years with a bit more age. (90 pts.)

Lastly I try to find one new producer to try in addition to the BD favorites each year. This was the winner last year, featuring grapes not often grown in California.

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  • 2012 West of Temperance Aglianico - USA, California (12/14/2016)
    Transparent ruby red. Red fruit, licorice and herbal aromas. The flavors have tons of red cherry and cranberry up front, a bit of black cherry towards the finish. These are complemented by light cocoa and herbal notes. Fruit-forward at 15.1 but not jammy with medium acid and light tannins (surprised the tannins aren’t heavier given the grape). Drinking well already but should evolve nicely over the next few years. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Edit: because I felt like a late night snack and I will need to re-stock in January…
Best By 12/31/16 Veleta Sardines
Meaty, still fresh despite their impending best by date. Not at all fishy or salty. Delicious straight out of the can, on crackers, as a dip (search for the recipe Chris Presutti posted), or any other way sardines can be enjoyed

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Okay, I’ve finally tallied these up (been traveling, visiting my mom, working on the road, then returning from the polar vortex with a cold) and I’m at $120.00 to Love146.org, when calculating $5 per tasting note (not old ones, those posted/consumed/tasted during the timeframe of this event) and an extra $5 if it included a photo of yourself. I added ANOTHER $5.00 for Jason Hagen’s because not only did he have the sense to put his beautiful wife in it, to draw attention away from his small hands, but she’s sporting a Love146.org hat!!!

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