A Pair of Californian Chardonnays

These two Chardonnays were drunk last month. The Beringer came across as mature and did a good job of showcasing the creamy, tropical, richer style but still maintaining control and a decent price point. The Ramey steps things up in terms of quality with its white fruit (instead of tropical), grip, and lively acidity. My preference leans towards the Ramey. It is a beautiful wine that while drinkable now, it should benefit from a year or two in the cellar. The price is pretty good as well! These bottles were purchased at MacArthur Beverages.

2007 Beringer, Chardonnay, Private Reserve, Napa Valley – $26
This wine is 100% Chardonnay sourced from the northern Gamble Ranch and Yountville vineyards. The fruit was fermented in 62% new French oak barrels, underwent malolactic fermentation, and aged for nine months. There is a light to medium color of golden straw. The wine starts off creamy in the mouth with low-lying white and yellow fruit tilting towards tropical flavors, notes of barrel toast, and cool flavors. The good mouth feel carries through the finish where there are some spices. ** Now.

2009 Ramey, Chardonnay, Russian River Valley – $28
This wine is 100% Chardonnay with 41% sourced from Dutton, 32% Martinelli, 14% King, 11% Rochioli, and 2% Green Pastures vineyards. The fruit was fermented in Burgundian barrels using indigenous yeasts. Drunk over several nights there was a good nose of white fruit and pears. In the mouth the grippy, mild palate expands into the mouth. While there are ripe fruit notes the pungent acidity brings a lively crispness to the wine. Working the wine in the mouth brings out a good mouthfeel before the tangy and tart aftertaste. The are some spices and a touch of barrel note to the aftertaste. This wine has a lot of personality. *** Now-2017.

An Older-Wine Dinner at Joan’s House

Joan has been a lover of fine wine for quite some time. She has bought a variety of wines over the years both from local stores and also on national and international wine trips. She has held on to particular bottles which she likes to bring out once they are mature. Joan recently hosted a dinner so that she could open the 1992 and 1993 Beringer, Private Reserve. The wines this evening were lovely. With the exception of the completely faded fruit of the Veedercrest all of the bottles were in great shape and developed throughout the course of the evening. My thanks go out to Joan for hosting an evening of wonderful food and wine.

2010 Domaine du Pas de l’Escalette, Les clapas Blanc, VdP de l’Herault
Imported by Elite Wines. This a blend of 40% Carignan Blanc, 30% Granache Blanc, and 30% Terret Bourret. Though a lighter color in the glass the nose was medium strength with focused aromas of white flowers and stones. This medium bodied wine offered lemon flavors with plenty of stone notes, tilting towards a tart profile with green apple flavors. This was a fresh wine that is young and will benefit from short-term cellaring. If you must drink it now then decant it for one to two hours. *** 2015-2019.

2009 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Les Caillerets, Chassagne Montracher 1er Cru
Imported by MacArthur Beverages. Two-thirds of the fruit is sourced from 60-year-old vines with the remaining third from 20-year-old vines. The nose was young with a subtle ripeness of fruit mixed with flint. The gentle texture bore apple-like tart fruit which developed lifted flavors of flint as the wine breathed. There were some toast notes in the finish. This tight wine slowly developed before the bottle was finished, this definitely requires cellaring before it will reveal its full personality. **(**) 2017-2022.

Opening the red wines

After the Bouillabaise we moved onto the red wines. Joan cooked braised short-ribs accompanied by roasted Brussel sprouts and root vegetables. The Veedercrest and Beringers had been stood up a day or two ahead and opened shortly before being poured. The Judd’s Hill had been double-decanted to remove sediment thus had four to five hours of air.

Corks from the 1974 Veedercrest and 1993 Beringer

I did not start with the best luck in removing the corks. The Judd’s Hill cork crumbled in two using a waiter’s corkscrew and the 1992 Beringer cork got stuck. So I switched to my poor-man’s Durand corkscrew composed of the worm from a Screwpull and an Ah-So. This worked wonders with the Beringer corks. The Veedercrest cork did not want to come out so at Lou’s advice I put the bottle on the floor between my feet. After some concentrated tugging and twisting it finally came free!

1974 Veedercrest Vineyards, Petite Sirah, Cask YUG 77 Batch 2, Sonoma County
This was a vibrant medium garnet color. The musky nose was animale with dark fruit notes. Eventually the musk blew off to reveal a nose of old wood. The flavors were light in the mouth, still a little acidity to keep things going. The fruit had faded way leaving old sweet wood notes. * Now.

1992 Beringer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Reserve, Napa Valley
This is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from 57% Bancroft Ranch, 21% State Lane, 14% St. Helena Home, and 5% Chabot along with Cabernet Franc from Bancroft. Each vineyard was aged for two years in new French oak before blending. This was a medium garnet color. The nose was medium strength with aromas of meat stew, a little roast, and Hoison sauce (or was it sweet soy sauce?). The complex flavors were very expansive at the start before a midpalate of tart red and black fruit flavors. With air the roast veggies and soy/Hoison sauce remained but the fruit became riper and balanced everything out. **** Now-2017.

1993 Beringer, Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Reserve, Napa Valley
This is a blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from 62% Bancroft Ranch, 24% St. Helena Home, and 11% Tre Colline along with 2% Cabernet Franc from Bancroft and 1% Cabernet Franc from Tre Colline. Each vineyard was aged for two years in new French oak before blending. The nose was subtler than the 1992 with the fruit more primary and aromas of herbs. In the mouth the youthful flavors were subtler, a little chewy as they were mixed with grapey tannins. There was a lovely cedar box component in the tart and gritty finish. **** Now-2019.

1997 Judd’s Hill, Cabernet Sauvignon
This is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc. Compared to the Beringers the nose was simpler with riper fruit and tobacco with the aromas becoming delineated with air. In the mouth the youthful and tight flavors were of tart red fruit, tobacco, and cedar. But over the evening it started to open up very well. This is a lovely wine just hinting at maturity and will undoubtedly develop for many years to come. ***(*) 2015-2025.

After the red wines we moved onto a trio of desserts made by Joan’s friend Patty. To accompany the fruit tart, rice pudding, and apple cobbler Joan offered a selection of dessert wines with Lou picking one from the Loire. Located within the Coteaux du Layon the village of Chaume sets its own requirements which include a significantly higher minimum level of sugar from grapes that must be affected by botrytis (noble rot) or passerillage (drying of the grapes by the sun). Joan used to drink quite a few wines from Chaume with this particular bottle purchased for $23 from MacArthur Beverages some years ago. After trying this bottle I am kicking myself for being content to read about these sweet wines made from Chenin Blanc instead of actually drinking them!

1997 Domaine Cady, Coteaux du Layon Chaume
Imported by Vintner Select. There was a woodsy amber color. This was fun to smell with aromas of maderized pear and apple that opened up rapidly. In the mouth the flavors were well-perfumed with lots of residual sugar but good acidity, plenty of sweet spices, flavors of apricot, and an unctuous caramelized apple-cinnamon and sugar vein. Incredibly tasty and enjoyed by all. **** Now-2025.

Lou, Joan, and the Author

Hamburger, Fries, and Wine!

My daughter loves to watch ballet so she was quite excited to visit Degas’s Dancers at the Barre exhibition which is entering its final week at The Phillips Collection.  Ever curious to know what she is going to eat next we mentioned visiting the Shake Shack.  In between looking at a few pictures and watching clips from Swan Lake she kept asking for her shake.  We made sure to be at the restaurant entrance a few minutes before they opened and found several other people waiting as well.

Discovering that Shake Shack has its own label of wine produced by Frogs Leap Winery I knew I just had to try it with my lunch.  I eventually decided that a half bottle of wine was not required for my 11am lunch so I settled on an $8 glass of the Cabernet Franc.  Wine is served in the unbreakable, reusable or recyclable, govino glasses.  The glass worked out well, it allows you to smell and savor the wine instead of just chugging it.  And there is a convenient finger dimple so you can maintain your grip when your fingers are covered in cheese sauce.  The wine was a bit warm so I added an ice cube which really helped balance it out.  It is a fairly robust wine that stood up to my cheeseburger, fries, hotdog, and condiments.  We all walked away pleased, wishing that a branch would open in our neighborhood.

2008 Shake Shack, Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley
Produced by Frogs Leap Winery.  This wine has a nose of ripe fruits along with wood notes.  In the mouth there are robust black berries which turn high-toned and tart midpalate.  Notes of cocoa and stones mix with medium tannins and steely stones in the aftertaste.

Brown Bags at Weygandt Wines

Just Some of the Brown-Bagged Wines

Last night I stopped by at Weygandt Wines for the monthly Food and Wine Bloggers night.  Hosted by Tim O’Rourke with invitations sent out by Joon Song of Vinicultured, the event was attended by several bloggers, people in the business, and many wine lovers.  The theme was a blind tasting and in the end there were 14 bottles of wine sourced from both the store and other places.  I suspect two dozen people rotated through.  To some degree everyone attempted to guess what they were drinking but that did not distract from social, talkative, enjoyment.

I enjoyed the range of wines with the Jean Francois Ganevat, Poulsard being the most unusual experience.  Of the whites I enjoyed the 2010 Gerard & Pierre Morin, Sancerre along with the 2008 Heitz, Sauvignon Blanc.  In terms of the red wines the  2010 Domaine Collotte is of good value, the 2002 Olga Raffault interesting, the 2007 Domaine Dugat-Py, Gevrey Chambertin was very drinkable, the 2009 Domaine les Aphillanthes needs to be revisited, and the 1995 Thunder Mountain was surprisingly good.

I have included my casual tasting notes.  They are presented in the order in which the bottles were numbered but not necessarily tasted.

#1 – 2010 Gerard & Pierre Morin, Vieilles Vignes, Sancerre
This is imported by Weygandt-Metzler.  This had a very light color.  There was a light nose, grassy, and textured.  In the mouth there were expansive flavors midpalate, note of stone, and acidity in the back of the mouth.  Attractive. Not Rated.

#2 – 2010 Domaine Collotte, Cuvee de Noble Souche, Burgundy
This is imported by Weygandt-Metzler.  A young color of ruby with purple tinge.  I thought this was Gamay!  The nose had notes of pepper and with time developed a good perfume.  There were some gravelly flavors and fine tannins. Not Rated.

#3 – Jean Francois Ganevat, Poulsard, Cuvee de l’enfant terrible, Cotes du Jura
This is a Jeffrey Alpert Selection.  This was a garnet-orange color.  Fizzy when poured it sported a foxy nose.  Quite unique with piercingly high acidity and citrus notes.  Interesting but not my preference, probably better with food. Not Rated.

#4 – 2002 Olga Raffault, Les Picasses, Chinon
This is imported by Louis/Dressner Selections.  It is made from Cabernet Franc grown on soils of limestone and clay.  A garnet color showing some age.  A perfumed nose, good red fruit, some stemmy forest wood flavors. Not Rated.

#5 – 2010 Chateau de la Bonneliere, Rive Gauche, Chinon
This is imported by Weygandt-Metzler.  A grapey color.  Young Cabernet Franc flavors with plenty of supporting acidity. Not Rated.

#6 – 2007 Domaine Dugat-Py, Vieilles Vignes, Gevrey-Chambertin
This is imported by Weygandt-Metzler.  A garnet color.  The slightly earthy nose is richer.  But the body was slight with precise, elegant flavors, tannins, and lots of acidity. Not Rated.

#7 – 2009 Domaine les Aphillanthes, 1921, Cotes du Rhone Villages Rasteau
This is imported by Weygandt-Metzler.  This wine is mostly Grenache sourced from a parcel planted in 1921.  A nose of black fruit and some pencil lead.  Very ripe, powdery fruit, a little spice, grapey tannins in finish.  Quite different from the other reds, powerful, I found this overbearing at first but when I revisited it later the wine had shaken off the baby fat and showed structure. Not Rated.

#8 – 2003 Edmunds St. John, Rocks and Gravel
This blend is roughly 35% Grenache, 35% Syrah, and 30% Mourvedre.  The nose was quite sweet like a rich vanilla-cake with a dash of spice.  The nose was quite different from the body which was quite restrained. Not Rated.

#9 – 2008 Heitz Cellars, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley
This was enjoyable and drinkable with citrus flavors, decent body, and some concentration. Not Rated.

#10 – 1995 Thunder Mountain, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bates Ranch, Santa Cruz Mountains
This was an aged garnet color.  A very pretty nose, lifted and complex with mature aromas but it ended with a vegetal note.  In the mouth it was crisp, precise, and had an enjoyable texture.  I thought it was Austrian! Not Rated.

#11 – 2004 Chateau de Valcombe, Prestige, Costieres de Nimes
This is imported by Robert Kacher.  The wine is a blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache.  I found a nose of old ladies perfume with flavors of wet cardboard and very fine tannins.  I did not like this. Not Rated.

#12 - 2010 Domaine Croix des Marchands, Fraicheur Perlee, Gaillac
This is imported by First Vine.  The wine is a blend of 34% Mauzac, 33% Muscadelle, and 33% Loin de l’Oeil sourced from 30-year-old vines.  Unfortunately, I did not taste this bottle. Not Rated.

#13 – 2004 James Judd & Sons Vineyards, Malbec Verdot, Paso Robles
This is a blend of 75% Malbec and 25% Petite Verdot.  The 2005 was aged for 22 months in American, French, and Hungarian oak barrels.  I found this overblown and hot, not my style. Not Rated.

#14 – 2008 Blenheim Vineyards, Blenheim Farm Petit Verdot, Monticello
This smelled like bleach in my glass.  After I dumped it the glass took on aromas of tobacco and dried herbs. Not Rated.

Joon and Aaron

2004 Keenan, Merlot at Mrs. K’s Toll House

We have been taking our daughter out to lunch ever since we were brave enough to leave the house.  Early on we even tried going out to dinner but when she would not fall asleep at the Outback Steakhouse her fussiness drew stares from other diners.  There were other attempts over the years but they invariably ended up with someone taking her to the car or back to the hotel for a nap.  My daughter has always gone to bed early so it was just an unfair struggle against nature.

Mrs K's Toll House Restaurant

This summer she started handling an early dinner quite well.  If we are seated around 5pm then she can last one hour or even an hour and a half.  So we have been able to eat ribs, seafood, and spaghetti in Ocean City and pizza in Silver Spring.  During my last trip to Seattle my wife took her to an early dinner at a local Italian joint with half-off wine specials.  We have gone a few more times but the wine list is quite short so we have satisfied ourselves with 2007 Rufino, Ducale, Chianti Classico Reserva for $25 or 2009 Rosemount, Merlot for $17.  The restaurants in our area will cork and bag an unfinished bottle.  This truly makes wine more affordable by the bottle than the glass.

Stairs to the Basement Wine Bar

This week we went to the basement wine bar at Mrs. K’s Toll House Restaurant.  Opened in 1930 the restaurant has accumulated a fairly interesting wine list for Montgomery County.  It is a strongly American list with a focus on California.  With its older vintages (and prices to match) you will certainly find bottles not available at other restaurants.  Several years ago they completed the massive project of transforming the basement into a wine bar and dinning area.  It is a casual space where you quickly forget that you are in Silver Spring.  We went because there is a happy hour special of 50% off all bottles under $60.  You are technically required to sit at the bar but as we had already been seated at a table we were allowed to partake.  I settled on the 2004 Keenan, Merlot for the budget price of $27.50 on sale.

2004 Keenan, Merlot, Napa Valley
The fruit is no longer primary with decent weight and gravelly texture.  The wine shows Bordeaux-like with its restraint and structure.  There are flavors of dark cherry, blue fruits, lipstick, and a fair amount of midpalate tannins. ** Now-2014.

A Dining Area

Enjoying Stolpman Syrahs with Lou

Lou was interested in trying a selection of his Stolpman Syrahs for some time.  It was at his house that he first introduced me to the wines of Stolpman by pouring the 2008 L’Avion.  I subsequently purchased the 2009 L’Avion which I enjoyed a bottle of in August.  When Lou brought up Stolpman Syrah as the focus for our gathering I quickly agreed.  With my offer of Salus and Miner Chardonnay our tasting was set.

Stolpman Vineyards, Image by mreidphillips (flickr)

It is rare that we start with beer but I could not resist opening the Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Elder.  Almost a year ago Clark told me about how much he enjoyed Pliny the Elder.  I checked the availability in the DC area and there was none to be found.  Suffice to say even Clark’s corner beer store (with several hundred different beers) did not get any in stock until this summer.  Julia monitored the store’s Tweets and eventually it was made available at the limit of one bottle per person!  Fortunately Clark is a good customer and was able to part with a bottle for myself.

Russian River Brewing Company, Pliny the Elder
This double IPA beer was lovely, balanced, delicate with citrus acidity, and easy to drink.  The hops are controlled in this complex beer.  I found it quite refreshing. Thanks Clark!

Aaron and Lou

We drank small glasses of the Pliny while bagging the wines and setting the table.  We then moved outside to tasted the Chardonnays and Syrahs.  As always, the reds were double-decanted a couple of hours prior and all wines were served brown-bagged.  The leftovers were split between us, filled with Private Preserve then tasted the next night or two.  I have listed the wines in the order they were tasted.

I preferred the Salus over the Miner since the later was a bit too loose with too much toast notes.  In terms of the Syrahs Jenn and I preferred the 2005 Hilltops followed by the 2006 Estate, both are amazing!  On the first night I preferred the  2007 Estate over the 2009 Originals but my preferences flip-flopped on the second night.  The 2007 is very young and the 2009 is not giving up much, perhaps a revisit in three  to five years might help my perspective.  As far as for current drinking the 2005 and 2006 are an easy step up.  All of the Stolpman wines were lovely and shared a common floral quality.  I strongly recommend these wines.  The member prices are a good value with the higher-tier Hillside and Originals future-priced in the mid $30s and the others much less.

2007 Miner Family Vineyards, Chardonnay, Wild Yeast, Napa Valley
This wine is 100% Chardonnay that was fermented with wild yeast then aged for 15 months in 70% new French oak.  This medium-bodied wine was softer and creamier in the mouth than the Salus.  There are ample notes of vanilla with a soft and loose delivery, some minerals, then it lets go as wood toast comes out in the finish.  On the second night the creamy texture remained, perhaps a bit more notes of toast, but a nice inky, pervasive note developed. *** Now-2015.

2009 Staglin Family Vineyard, Salus, Estate Chardonnay, Rutherford, Napa Valley
This wine is 100% Chardonnay that was barrel fermented then aged for 11 months in 61% new and 39% used barrels.  This was a tad darker than the Miner with a crisp, clean nose.  It was rich in the mouth but with good acidity, a creamy midpalate, and notes of lemon drop.  On the second night it was quite mouthfilling, well-balanced, and surprisingly fresh. ***(*) Now-2015.

2007 Stolpman Vineyards, Estate Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley
This wine is 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier that were co-fermented.  A tad more purple in color than the 2006.  This was very scented at first.  In the mouth there were crisp, violet flavors, with more tart red flavors throughout.  This savory, salty wine carried fine grain tannins, juicy red fruit, with a little toast and heat towards the finish.  On the second night the wine was quite primary with grapey red fruit.  There was the slightest hint of white pepper.  The fine, spicy tannins made this the most tannic of them all.  This is quite focused and might require many years to open up. ***(*) 2015-2022.

2006 Stolpman Vineyards, Estate Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley
This wine is 85% Syrah and 15% Grenache that were co-fermented.  This was powerful and concentrated.  It effortlessly filled the nose with aromas each time I was about to swallow.  There were clean, floral notes of lavender.  In the mouth the lingering flavors of hard, black fruits mixed with some spice, a wee bit of salivating acidity, a bit more spice, and some tannins.  With air it became a tad inky.  On the second night the nose was darker than the 2007 and fine textured tannins came out midpalate.  This wine was more enthusiastic in personality than the 2005 Hilltops.  Lovely. **** Now-2017.

2009 Stolpman Vineyards, Originals Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley
The inaugural release of the Originals Cuvee is made from 100% Syrah sourced from the oldest vines.  This wine gave the least.  Purple in color and with flavors of tart red fruit mixed with a bit of Christmas spice.  On the second night, it sported the lightest nose but showed more concentrated flavors. **(*) 2015-2019.

2005 Stolpman Vineyards, Hilltops Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley
This wine is 100% Syrah sourced from parcels located at the highest elevations of the vineyard.  The wine is aged for 12 months in 100% new French barrels.  After the L’Avion Roussanne is moved from barrel to tank, the Hilltops is racked into the L’Avion barrels which still contain the lees.  The Hilltops is then aged a further 8 months.  This leans towards a garnet color and clearly looked like the oldest of the wines.  This was powerful and integrated with riper fruit, prominent blue flavors, a floral aspect, and richer mouthfeel.  There were herbs and complex, sweet fruit in this denser, meatier wine.  Really quite lovely.  On the second night the nose became more refined and the flavors were still the richest of all the bottles.  On the palate it became almost jammy and had developed chocolate notes.  Quite nice! **** Now-2017.

The Revealed Bottles

Two Californian Wines From 1999

I do not believe in only posting tasting notes about good wines.  By omitting any tasting note there is less information about that particular wine and an incomplete profile of my tasting preferences.  If I cannot find a review about a wine then I do not know if it was awful, strange, or so good that people are being secretive.  The Washington, DC area has a tremendous selection of wines and this exciting variety means that the various wine merchants may not have up to date knowledge or any knowledge about a particular selection.  Even quick internet searches may be unfruitful.  As a result the tasting notes in this blog will cover all of the wines that I drink, both good, awful, and past prime. 

These two wines were purchased last month from MacArthur’s.  The Philippe-Lorraine cost $20 and the Lane Tanner cost $18.  The Philippe-Lorraine is a decent buy for a fully mature Napa Cab but the lack of acidity distracted me a bit.  Avoid the Lane Tanner.

1999 Philippe-Lorraine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
This wine is produced at Baxter Winery by Phil Senior and Phil Junior.  The wines are a tribute to maternal grandparents Philippe and Lorraine.  This wine started with a meaty nose combined with roast earth.  There were initial flavors of black fruits in this medium-bodied wine.  The flavors bordered on savory with chewy, ripe tannins.  There was not enough acidity so the flavors became soft as hints of stone came out.  The mouthfilling aftertaste revealed cedar, a bit of green blackcurrant, and some spice.  The flavors did grow with air.  I would venture that this bottle is just past its peak and is in gentle decline so drink up.

1999 Lane Tanner, Syrah, French Camp Vineyard, San Luis Obispo
This wine is 100% Syrah from the French Camp Vineyard which is located on a high-plateau in the mid-eastern portion of the county.  The grapes are aged for 12 months in 30% new French and American oak barrels.  One or two barrels were heavy char to give a ”smoky-bacon fat smell” to the wine.  The goal is to produce an elegant, accessible wine.  This wine had volatile aromas on the nose that acted as a warning sign.  In the mouth there were flavors of sour fruits.  This wine was clearly over the hill and not pleasant to taste.  I corked the bottle and dumped the rest of my glass.

2008 Delectus Winery, Argentum, Napa Valley

I am having a great time posting about Colonial Williamsburg.  It takes a fair amount of time to search for images to include in my posts and for any related articles.  As a result I am rapidly falling behind on posting my tasting notes.  This week my posts will primarily be concerned with tasting notes.  I have two Colonial posts that I am actively working on and will publish those over the next two weeks.  One concerns the reproduction wine bottles, decanters, and wine furniture that were manufactured to museum quality standards as licensed by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.  Another post is concerned with the Virginia General Assembly’s “An Act for the Encouragement of the Making of Wine” that was passed in 1769.   I will specifically discuss the related articles that appear in the Virginia Gazette during the 1770s.  And now, the first of several tasting notes!

Delectus Winery was started in 1995 by Gerhard Reisacher and his wife Linda.  Gerhard was born into a wine-making family and grew up in a wine village south of Vienna (Another post I need to finish concerns the Vineyards of Vienna).  He worked at Monticello Cellars, Far Niente, Pine Ridge, and Clos du Val.  In 2004 they purchased a 112-acre parcel next to Mount St. Helena.  They have planted 40 acres of vineyards and worked on a new winery.  The Argentum cuvee is designed as a daily wine and apparently it is popular in by-the-glass programs at restaurants.  The Argentum is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Syrah.

This bottle was $26 at MacArthur’s.  I do recommend this wine for someone willing to lay it down for several years.  It is interesting and appropriately priced.  I thought it drank rather well and was somewhat shocked to find 15.7% ABC listed on the label!  I suspect the tannins might be hiding the alcohol.

2008 Delectus Winery, Argentum, Napa Valley
We drank this over two nights.  On the second night there was a lighter nose of dark, mixed aromas of earth and fruit.  There was a slight hint of pruned fruit.  In the mouth there were gritty, red fruit flavors woven with tannins.  There are underlying blue, inky fruits.  The tannins become drying in the finish and really step up in the aftertaste.  It clearly comes across as a young wine with future potential for development.  **(*) 2015-2022.

New World Syrah and Cabernets at Jace’s House, 18 March 2011

These notes are from a tasting that Lou and I attended at Jace’s House.  My brief notes are below.

The Bubbly and Whites

N.V. Ulysse Collin, Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs, Champagne
The light nose was yeasty.  In the mouth there were apple flavors, almost salty, and nice acidity.

1995 Château Pape Clement, Blanc, Pessac-Leognan, Graves
The nose was oxidized.  Flavors of tart apples, clearly past its prime, wood, almost Jura-like, with its persistent oxidized aftertaste.  Seen better days.

1999 Domaine Borgeot, Santenay 1er Cru Clos de la Comme, Santenay 1er Cru
The nose was light and refreshing.  With air there were sweet fruit flavors, crisp acidity that caused the mouth to water, still steely, with almost fine tannins.  A good drink!

The Cabernet Sauvignons

2002 Karl Lawrence, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
This was clearly young, clamped down, sporting primary dark fruits with a dose of tannin. I’d sit on this for a few years.

1997 Heitz Cellar, Cabernet Sauvignon, Trailside Vineyard, Rutherford, Napa Valley
This was my favorite of the first flight. There were ample amounts of ripe fruit with a lovely amount of earthiness and spice. It was big and dense in the mouth without being over done and took on a racy character through the evening.

1991 Beringer Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Private Reserve, Napa Valley
This was my second favorite of the flight. I got a bit of menthol on the nose. It did not have the weight or power of the Heitz but was lovely and plenty of life left.

2000 Bodegas Caro (Barons de Rothschild / Catena) Caro, Mendoza
This was my least favorite of the night. An almost off-putting nose like the inside of a perfumed, old chest of drawers with dense, sweet aromas.

1985 Dunn Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
This was my third favorite of the flight. It had a lovely, garnet color to it. It tilted towards tart, sour red fruits with a bit of greenish on the finish. The fruit was a bit too tart in my mind.

The Syrahs

2007 DuMOL, Syrah, Eddie’s Patch, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
This was my least favorite of the Syrah’s. It had an odd, light nose but in the mouth it was rich, creamy, lovely feel but as a whole it was almost out of control.

2007 Betz Family, Syrah, La Côte Rousse, Red Mountain, Columbia Valley
This was my second favorite. The light nose moved on to structured, blue fruit, and tannins. It showed a young, inky personality that clearly needs more time. I’d sit on this for several years.

2007 Cayuse, Syrah, Cailloux Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, Columbia Valley
This was a clear standout with its light, spiced fruits and a creamy, lifted palate. A nice wine and so easy to drink. My favorite of the Syrahs.

2007 Tensley, Syrah, Colson Canyon Vineyard, Santa Barbara County
This surprised me at the end of the night when it finally showed rich, spiced fruit. But the heat at the end was just too distracting. Drink this one cool!

2001 Long Vineyards, Johannisberg Riesling Botrytis, Napa Valley
The wine was a caramel color in the glass.  There was a light+ nose of botrytis, fresh caramel flavors, apples, but not enough acidity.

2006 Josef Lentsch, Trockenbeerenauslese Dankbarkeit, Neusiedlersee, Burgenland
This showed fresh fruit, ethereal, lots of fresh fruit, acidity, and grip with a creamy coating.  Quite nice.

DC Old Gems Offline

This past Saturday eight of us gathered on our deck for a casual tasting of 20+ year old wines. Present were Lou F., Joan R., Chris B., Marjorie H., Shane V., Denise V., Jenn, and myself. We drank the whites followed by the reds and wrapped up with the ports. We drank the red wines in vintage order. I didn’t take detailed notes as we were mostly standing around talking. The whites weren’t so hot but the reds and ports were very good. The 1964, 1966, 1970, and 1984 were the favorite reds of the evening. I love knowing that 40-50 year old wines can be rocking.

1983 Dr. H. Thanisch, Braunberger Jusser Sonnenuhr Spatlese, Mosel Saar Ruwer
1990 Louis Latour, Corton-Charlemagne GC
1992 Louis Latour, Corton-Charlemagne GC
We started with the 1983 Thanisch, it had a light petrol nose but was very dry and devoid of most fruit. With swirling you could coax more out of it but seemed stalled after half an hour. The 1990 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne was cloudy with slight signs of seepage and while drinkable, was not good. Sharp nose, harsh up front but suprising smooth finish and aftertaste. And the 1992 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne was crystal clear, assertive, some minerals very brutish slightly tannic but OK.

1964 Louis Martini, Special Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon en magnum

1966 Louis Martini, Special Selection, Cabernet Sauvignon en magnum
So then on to the Martini’s. Both the 1964 and 1966 were drinking really well and never faded off. The 1964 had the stronger nose at first. Lots of cab sauv cedar. The 1964 was softer, more mature, and all around integrated whereas the 1966 had more youthful fruit to it and some tannins. They held on all evening and were clearly well stored. There was 1.5 glasses left of each magnum that we drank the next night, still good but little versions of the night before.

1970 Ch. Pichon Lalande, Pauillac

1978 Ch. Pichon Lalande, Pauillac
The 1970 Pichon Lalande was lovely and in great condition. Clearly a very good wine from a very good vintage. Glorious nose, well rounded in the mouth, lovely and it was a step up over the 1978 which was a mini version. The 60s and 70s were the favorite wines of the evening for us. If you tasted these four blind you’d swear Martini’s were from Bordeaux (which is what I had been told in the past).

1982 Ch. Montelena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
1984 Ch. Montelena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Then a big stylist change to the 1982 Montelena. An initially strong nose, cedar, some dust, earthier and more mature than the 1984. The 1984 Montelena was lovey with dark berries and shoe leather, still on the young side and somewhat primary and developed through the evening. The most potential out of all of the wines.

1990 Ravenswood, Pickberry, Sonoma County
1990 Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon, York Creek
The 1990 Ravenswood sucked, not a bad bottle, stored in a cold room since release, but not good stuff. Disjointed roasted fruit, tannins, etc. I believe this was the first wine dumped. The 1990 Ridge was austere in comparison but after several hours it showed as a lithe wine with tart red fruit, ample acidity, well made, good mouthfeel almost still young with fine tannic finish. The 1990 was not as good as the 1960s and 1970s so I think it suffered in comparison.

1970 Warre’s vintage port
1970 Dow’s vintage port
And then the ports. 1970 Dow’s showed sweeter, primary fruit and the 1970 Warre’s was more complex, feminine, and interesting. Both lovely bottles of port. Jenn and I absolutely love vintage port and wish we could drink more.