Wineberserkers Virtual Tasting Series: Cal-Rhone til Sun Aug 22nd!!!

WINE TALK
21

I’ll be watching for your note on this. I have a singleton that I like getting data points for. [cheers.gif]

22

Which '99 did you have, Chris? The Reserve Cuvee?

23

Wow, interesting, I actually had a hard time finding a bottle that was Cali, Blend, and not Syrah dominant. Think about the only choice I have is 2006 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard. If I can find it in my construction mess, I’ll post thoughts.

24

Drank a lovely 2004 Carlisle, Two Acres, for lunch with my neighbor. Incredible spice and bark with red meat and mulberries to support it. Yummy creamy feel on the palate. This might just be entering prime drinking territory.

25

I think like the Saxum most will be from the Central coast.

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  • 2007 Novy Family Wines Grenache Judge Family Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley (8/14/2010)
    Decanted and tasted after a few minutes of air. Threw a surprising amount of sediment given only a few years old. Color was a bright translucent ruby turning clear towards the edges. Nose kind of a dusty peat-moss with barely a hint of strawberry hiding beneath. In the mouth, nice silky texture, kirsch liqueur, cinnamon, leather, with air starting to reveal more strawberry and white pepper. (90 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles (8/14/2010)[/i]
37% Grenache, 28% Syrah, 26% Mourvedre, 9% Cinsaut.
Decanted 1 hour, consumed over 3 hours. Huge nose of strawberry, underbrush, and vanilla. Clearly Grenache from the nose. On the palate there is nice red fruits, earth, and a touch of sage. Medium bodied and showing no trace of heat or oak, would seem like a real crowd pleaser for non- wine geeks. Mourved really shows on the finish. Overall a tad too sweet for my palate and any tannins that have held this back in the past have been fully resolved now, A well made and textbook So. Rhone blend
Posted from CellarTracker on GrapeStories.com

28

I decided to go for this one, which is a Mourvedre-based Rhone blend from El Dorado County made by Helen Keplinger, who is one of the next wave of great winemakers from Napa Valley.

2007 Keplinger Caldera - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County (8/13/2010)
Decanted. Medium ruby red color. Somewhat transparent. Nose gives hints of dark red fruit, meat. Nice mouthfeel, with dark cherry, bacon fat, earth and a hint of red candy (likely from the Grenache). Slight hint of heat on finish. Wonderfully balanced wine. Next day update: all traces of heat were gone, and the wine was much more integrated than on day one. A few years in bottle will do this wine well. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

29

Nice job so far. 7.25 days left.
Keep them coming!

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•2005 Carlisle Two Acres - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (8/15/2010)
From Mike Officer’s fabulous “Two Acres” vineyard, planted in 1910. 215 cases produced. This wine is a poster child for the old vine movement. Discovered by Mike neglected and ragged, lovingly brought back to life in 1996. Mostly Mourvedre, which is atypical for Sonoma County vineyards of this age. Interplanted with Mondeuse, Petite, Carignane, Alicante and a little Zin. When I think of Two Acres, I think of a car buff who finds a vintage Pierce Arrow rusting in an abandoned barn. Through love and attention, a true gem is re-born. Two Acre is a true gem.

Medium-dark, but crystalline ruby red. 15.9% alcohol (recent vintages are significantly lower IIRC). Huge red and black fruit aromas. Hugely appealing rasberries, cassis, plums, spice and cream on the palate. Extremely well balanced, rich and delicious. One of California’s most historic and distinctives wines. One of my favorite wines. (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Cheers,

31

The 2007 Tablas Creek Panoplie certainly lives up to its reputation. Fist me say what it is not. It is not Saxum, l’Aventure or some other rich full bodied wine.
Wine was decanted into a flat bottom decanter and cooled a tad by the restaurant before serving.
It is a very thoughtful wine that delivers an incredibly smooth velvety mouthfeel. The aromas are funky mourvedre, with kirch and framboise supporting. Under there some minerality is lurking, but it comes out on the palate. Starts spicy with each new glass only to become softer rounder and fruiter as it airs. Very minimal oak. Probably one of the best balanced wines I’ve had in a long long time.

32

[dance-clap.gif] I’ve been waiting to hear what you thought of this. Glad you liked it … I always get nervous when I talk-up a wine and then people actually listen as if I know what I’m talking about. [wow.gif]

33

Do people realize this is still going on? Mike, maybe you can add the dates to the subject line?

I have a couple bottles I’ve offed for this: just need to write-up the TN’s, then I’ll post 'em here. One of 'em was a fuh-unkee Carignan!

34

How about Mike himself posting?
Tonight is PN night for me so no new contributions.

35

Had some of Dave Smig’s 2008 Dacalier De La Terre at b’fest in Napa this past weekend. Yet to be released, this is a nice GSM which very much resembles a good bottling from Gigondas…

36

[worship.gif] Thanks for the plug Rob. Our blend is 81% Grenache, 14% Carignan and 5% syrah, so its really a GCS! But our aim was not to accentuate the fruit as much as it was the earthiness of the Grenache and Carignan. Hence ‘Of the Earth’

-Dave Smig

37

Thanks for the correction… I suspected that GSM was not entirely accurate but I knew that is was mostly Grenache…

38

Not sure if this counts, but went well with broiled sea bass tonight:

  • 2009 Cline Cellars Viognier - USA, California, North Coast (8/19/2010)
    Honey, white peaches, cherry pits, hazelnuts. Nice crispness on the finish. Good summer QPR (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Another modest wine, started yesterday and finished tonight, consistent over both nights, stored using a vacu-vin

  • 2007 Beckmen Vineyards Cuvée Le Bec - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley (8/19/2010)
    Dark berries, meaty/gamey notes on the mid-palate, finishes with pepper and spice. Good value. (89 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

40

what were your perceptions regarding the alcohol on the viognier?