Californian Pinot Noir and Barbera from 1977

In the late 1970s, during the height of the American wine boom, Sebastiani was the volume leader in the wine production for Sonoma. Sebastiani was founded in 1904 by Samuele Sebastiani but it was his son August Sebastiani who saw the winery through Prohibition and the rise of the California wine industry.  Much of the production was jug wine but premium wine was produced as well.  The general emphasis on varietals meant that the Barbera and Zinfandel offerings were regarded with popularity which is precisely why I opened the 1977 Sebastiani, Barbera, Proprietor’s Reserve, Northern California.  This was among the last vintages produced by August Sebastiani who passed away in 1980.  August Sebastiani did not fully adopt stainless steel nor French oak rather it was his two sons who began the transition to modernity in the 1970s.  You can imagine August Sebastiani’s hand in making this wine for there is nothing modern tasting about this bottle of Barbera.  It smells and tastes of sweaty leather, though is sweeter in the mouth.  It reminds me of the 1960s Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignons.  It is quite forward until it fades so drink rapidly once you pop the cork.

Buena Vista Winery is another historic winery in Sonoma but it predates Sebastiani by some 50 years.  When General Charles de Gaulle visited America in 1960 he was served both French and American wines with his meals. For his meal of roast fillet of beef with truffle sauce he was served Buena Vista, Pinot Noir.  This is quite amazing given that in the 1960s and 1970s Pinot Noir was considered “difficult and temperamental” to grow in California. Nathan Chroman, writing for the Los Angeles Times, concluded that in California this varietal  produced less “Pinot characteristics”.  Pinot Noir ripens early and given the widespread warmth and sun of California very few areas were regarded as suitably cool enough for proper ripening.  After tasting through several dozen Californian Pinot Noirs, he concluded that while the 1968 Buena Vista was a “very good glass of wine” it had less of the Pinot Noir characteristic he looked for.

I pop and pour most old wine which I have not drunk before.  In retrospect I should have decanted the 1977 Buena Vista Winery, Haraszthy Cellars, Pinot Noir, Cask 22, Sonoma.  This is a robust wine that with air shows more blue fruit and substantial structure evocative of the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon.  This may not be surprising for John Winthrop Haeger writes in North American Pinot Noir (2004) that between 1969 and 1971 Buena Vista planted 84 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon near Pinot Noir.  I followed the wine over several hours and in the process, kicked up a fair amount of sediment which contributed to a loss of focus.  I have the suspicion that my mishandling did not allow this wine to show its best.  I will be sure to write about the next decanted bottle.

1977 Sebastiani, Barbera, Proprietor’s Reserve, Northern California
Alcohol 12.6%.   There is an aromatic nose of sweaty leather.  In the mouth is a big wine of sweet flavors, leather, and supportive oak.  It is evocative of other Sebastiani wines from the 1960s and 1970s except that it faded within one hour.  ** Now.

1977 Buena Vista Winery, Haraszthy Cellars, Pinot Noir, Cask 22, Sonoma
Alcohol 12.5%.  The color is a medium, cranberry garnet.  The nose is sweet and sweaty, evocative of sweet, old wood.  In the mouth is a soft start before menthol fresh flavors supported by a fine vein of acidity. The old-school flavor becomes bluer with air, taking on body with a good, ethereal finish.  It is a fairly substantial wine which still has supportive, dry structure that coats the gums.  It tastes like a blend of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.  **(*) Now – 2022.

A mix of vintages 82, 78, 69, and 62

Over this winter I tried a few odd bottles of old Bordeaux, this post reflecting the lesser of them. The 1982 Chateau d’Issan, Margaux bore good fill and color but the corrosion on the capsule indicated a problem. Old seepage was confirmed by cutting the capsule but the wine itself was good shape, though fresh with sweet fruit, it is a wine that should be drunk up.  I did not expect much of the 1978 Chateau Labegorce-Zede, Margaux.  I opened it because it is a wine I drunk with my mom in the mid 1990s.  We bought a bottle along with cheese, charcuterie, and bread to eat at a picnic in sight of the Clifton Suspension Bridge off of Sion Hill in Bristol.

Of great surprise are several bottles from the miserable Bordeaux vintage of 1969.  Michael Broadbent does not even award the vintage any stars.  Still, these bottles proved that well-stored bottles from the worst vintages can still be drunk with pleasure.  The 1969 Chateau Boyd-Cantenac, Margaux certainly has vegetable aromas on the nose but in the mouth are perfectly preserved flavors, most likely by the lively acidity, of cranberry red fruit.  There is even grip and a suggestion of weight.  I do not suggest you seek this wine out but the good storage conditions came through.  From the same vintage and cellar came three bottles of 1969 Chateau Leoville Las Cases, Saint-Julien.  These showed some bottle variation.  Two were deep fruited on the nose with one brighter and more pungent.  There is less obvious acidity and more leather, wood, and bacon type of flavors.  Fun stuff!  Finally, the lowest fill of a group of 1962 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac proved satisfying.  It did not have the depth of the bottle drunk with Darryl and Lou but was complete and enjoyable.  To have drunk two bottles of Lafite in one month.  Incredible! 😉

1982 Chateau d’Issan, Margaux
Imported by Ginday Imports LTD. Alcohol 11%-13.5%.  A lively wine that combines freshness and some attractive sweet flavors.  The tannins are fully resolved and when combined with the hints of roast earth, suggests it should be drunk up.  *** Now.

1978 Chateau Labegorce-Zede, Margaux
Fully mature, if not just past but it still manages to offer a mixture of blue and red fruit, wood box, and fully resolved tannins.  Pleasant enough for a few glasses.  *(*) Now.

1969 Chateau Boyd-Cantenac, Margaux
Shipped Mestrezat-Preller. Imported by John Gilbert Jr. Co. Alcohol 11% – 14%.  Across two bottles are clean red fruit flavors along with a distinct vegetal, as in celery, aromas as if from unripe fruit.  One bottle had some old funk which blew off.  In the mouth are surprisingly well preserved, clean and lively flavors of red fruit.  There is even some weight and fresh grip in the mouth.  Clearly well stored, this is surprisingly solid with good acidity and a fine, polished wood note.  ** Now.

1969 Chateau Leoville Las Cases, Saint-Julien
Shipped Mestrezat-Preller. Imported by John Gilbert Jr. Co. Alcohol 11% – 14%.  Of three bottles tasted, at best a nose of deep, earthy fruit then fresher aromas with cedar.  Leather notes develop becoming more prominent than the earth.  In the mouth this is a lively wine of bright red then blacker fruit.  The flavors shorten quickly but a bacon infused finish carries a wee bit of fruit.  The structure is still drying and present.** Now.

1962 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Pauillac
Shipped by Mestrezat-Prellar. Imported by Whitehall Company Ltd. Alcohol 11% – 14%. Mid-shoulder fill.  A fine nose of meat, graphite, and flowers.  In the mouth is a bright undeniably savory wine with a fresh, almost eucalyptus start.  The low fill has obviously taken a toll but this remains a savory, fine albeit smaller version of what this wine can achieve.  *** Now.

The lively 2014 Fornacina, Rosso di Montalcino

I am pleased by one of the latest releases of Fornacina for the 2014 Fornacina, Rosso di Montalcino is a perfect follow up to the savory 2013 vintage.  The 2014 vintage is particularly lively with plenty of juicy, almost rugged fruit supported by a very fine supportive structure.  I enjoyed it youthful state but some might want the tannins to mellow for another year or two.  This wine is available at MacArthur Beverages.

2014 Fornacina, Rosso di Montalcino – $18
This wine is 100% Sangiovese fermented in stainless steel then aged in Slavonian oak. Alcohol 14.5%.  The nose is of moderately deep plums.  In the mouth there is an almost prickly start making for a lively entry of tart red fruit then black fruit.  The structure is obvious throughout leaving a layer of very fine tannins on the gums.  With air the wine builds a ripe, juicy start followed by a mulberry middle and firm, stone accented finish.  *** Now – 2023.

Three good wines from California

This past week saw Jenn and I drink three different wines from California.  Lou gave us the bottle of 2014 World’s End, Rebel Rebel, Chardonnay Reserve, Napa Valley.  This wine is produced by Jonathan Maltus of Chateau Teyssier and Le Dome background using fruit sourced from a Beckstoffer vineyard.  It is flavorful and generous in mouthfeel yet does not push the richness too far.  I found it drank great over two nights.  Andy, over at MacArthur Beverages, pointed out a pair of Californian wines with a wee bit of age.  I have already drunk two bottles of the NV Sean H. Thackery, Pleiades XVIII Old Vines.  This is a hard to describe wine that blends red fruit, orange, tea, and floral components.  The first bottle had a marked earthy component which I adored whereas the second bottle was more fruity and suggestive of its individual components.  I suspect it is a good time to drink these up.  Finally, the 1997 Judd’s Hill, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley opens after a short double-decanting.  This is a tasty, dry and still somewhat structured wine with a flavorful balance of black fruit, wood box, and leather.  You may drink it now or over the next several years.  Fun stuff all around!

2014 World’s End, Rebel Rebel, Chardonnay Reserve, Napa Valley
Alcohol 14.5%. The nose sets you up for a Californian experience with rich white fruit and white nut aromas.  In the mouth is an almost focused start of founded, somewhat dense, ripe white fruit followed by a subtle toast note.  The generous mouthfeel is enlivened by some salivating acidity which goes all the way to the back of the throat.  Drinking generously right now.  ***(*) Now.

NV Sean H. Thackery, Pleiades XVIII Old Vines
Bottled December 2010.  This is a blend of Sangiovese, Mourvedre, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon and more! Alcohol 14.8%.  The has an earthy hint at first.  The flavors are mouth filling and supported by acidity from the very start.  There is a sweet concentration of fruit with flavors of orange, wet tea, floral notes, and an underlying menthol freshness. ***(*) Now – 2020.

1997 Judd’s Hill, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
Alcohol 13.5%.  The nose is deep fruited with a slight menthol note.  In the mouth are bright flavors of black fruit with watering acidity then a building volume of black fruit, stone, leather, and wood box.  There is a long aftertaste.  With air the black fruit continues to fill the mouth but the flavors become dry with a drying vein of structure developing throughout.  Happily the wood box note becomes amplified.  Tasty.  ***(*) Now – 2023.

A pair of young Rhones

The 2015 Domaine La Garrigue, Cuvee Romaine, Cote du Rhone is the latest iteration of a wine I commonly open up at home.  The 2015 vintage reminds me, in part, of the 2009 vintage, in which there was no Mourvedre.   Whatever the 2015 is composed of, it offers less of the common dark, earth note and more pepper and structure.  As such, it is a grapier wine which should develop over the short term and drink for longer.  The 2014 Domaine de Mourchon, Cote du Rhone also offers pepper accented youthful flavors.   Both of these are solid, week day wines you can drink over the next several years.  These wines are available at MacArthur Beverages.

2015 Domaine La Garrigue, Cuvee Romaine, Cote du Rhone – $15
Imported by Eric Solomon/European Cellars.  This wine is a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah.  Alcohol 14.5%.  Pepper notes on the nose make way to powerful, grapey flavors of moderate weight and grip.  There are white pepper and ink notes with a mineral underpinning and very fine structure of tannins.  The combination of structure and rapier acidity will allow this to mature for a few years.  **(*) Now – 2022.

2014 Domaine de Mourchon, Cote du Rhone – $13
Imported by Oenos Imports.  This wine is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah sourced from vines averaging 40 years of age which was raised entirely in concrete.  Alcohol 14%.  The nose is a bit lifted and certainly youthful.  In the mouth are flavors of youthful tasting tart red fruit then tooty fruity mixed with white pepper.  The wine has textured grip and a youthful structure of fine tannins.  The wine is not quite grapey so perhaps young and primary.  ** Now – 2019.

A blind tasting of 2003 Northern Rhone wines

It is a treat to blindly taste through eight wines of quality which I was recently able to do at Andy’s house.  One year ago Andy managed to stump us with a horizontal of 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape.  This year he served up 2003 Northern Rhone.  There was certainly confusion at first, particularly after the first several wines showed a level of ripe fruit concentration that had me thinking we were tasting Southern Rhone.  Then the final wines shifted my impression up to the Northern Rhone.  In retrospect it is the generous 2003 vintage that lead to this confusion and a surprise.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the 2003 Joel Durand, Les Coteaux, Saint-Joseph.  Though fruity, the flavors are not over ripe, the wine is lively, and backed by earth.  It is certainly generous and enjoyable to drink as a result.  Also from Saint-Joseph, the 2003 Yves Cuilleron, Serines, Saint-Joseph steps up the level of elegance.  Made from old-vines which see new oak, the quality of the fruit shines through with great grip and bacon flavors!  Finally, the most seductive wine of the night turned out to be the 2003 Guigal, Chateau d’Ampuis, Cote-Rotie.  Fat, glycerin, even more fat surround coiled, black fruit flavors. You can now imagine why I stayed a bit later than I intended to simply drinking these wines.

1 – 2003 Eric et Joel Durand, Cornas
Imported by Weygandt-Metzler.  Alcohol 14%.  A medium garnet color with a mature and robust nose.  In the mouth are racy, mouth filling flavors.  This is a big wine with hints of alcohol.  There are flavors of prune, baking spice, and a wood note but not much in the way of tannin.  With air the sappy fruit takes on some fat and develops a longer finish.  In a way this is young and taught.  *** Now.

2 – 2003 Joel Durand, Les Coteaux, Saint-Joseph
Imported by MacArthur Liquors.  Alcohol 13.5%.  A similar dark colored core as #1.  The nose is more expressive with mixed, dark fruits.  The flavors show more concentration with a hint of earth and plenty of presence.  It is a very good wine with ripe fruit, continued animale and earth notes, and an earthy aftertaste.  Nice.  **** Now – 2023.

3 – 2003 Alain Voge, Les Vieilles Vignes, Cornas
Imported by Adventures in Wine.  Alcohol 13.5%.  A little less garnet than the previous wines.  This wine plays it close both on the nose and in the mouth.  It has hints of rather mature, old-school flavor which is delicate with earthy and red berry aspects.  The flavors become more black towards the finish where the subtle, structured finish brings out a wood note. *** Now.

4 – 2003 Tardieu-Laurent, Vieilles Vignes, Les Roches, Saint-Joseph
A darker color makes way to wood box aromas, dark blue and red fruit, and good mature hints. In the mouth there is a younger, fruitier start, assertive tannins, and a bitter finish.  There is good, tart flavor in the but ultimately taste more like a Southern Rhone.  Or perhaps I should write, I pegged this as a Tardieu-Laurent wine. *** Now.

5 – 2003 Guigal, Brune & Blonde, Cote-Rotie
Imported by Ex Cellars.  Alcohol 13%.  Meaty flavors with a dose of tannins start off this thick, mouth filling wine.  It is a little rough and simple with dark roast and rather fine and strong structure.  More toast is apparent with air. *** Now – 2023.

6 – 2003 Yves Cuilleron, Serines, Saint-Joseph
Imported by Neal Rosenthal.  Alcohol 13%.  The floral, purple fruit aromas clearly speak of the Northern Rhone.  In the mouth are cool, young fruit flavors on entry followed by a pervasive bacon flavor.  It is a youthful wine with watery acidity, great grip, and accented by citrus flavor (but not citric acidity).  This will continue to develop.  **** Now – 2027.

7 – 2003 Rene Rostaing, Cote-Rotie
Imported by The Rare Wine Co.  Alcohol 12.5%.  There is a light garnet color.  The nose is weird, lactic and fishy with fish flavors in the mouth.  One taster commented “sardine dine”.  Not Rated.

8 – 2003 Guigal, Chateau d’Ampuis, Cote-Rotie
Imported by Ex Cellars.  Alcohol 13%.  Mmm, meat on the nose.  This wine sports more body and glycerin then all of the previous wines.  The black core of fruit is coated with fat, coiled and willing to unfurl in the middle with a bright lift.  Did I mention the very seductive fat? **** Now – 2027.

George Washington’s Food Supply Ledger

Invoice for 2 pipes of Madeira from John M. Pintard to George Washington, November 20, 1793. Library of Congress.

As today is the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States, I thought I would briefly focused on our first president George Washington.  George Washington’s Mount Vernon recently published a page from the Food Supply Ledger for the dates of May 19-25, 1794.  It is a fascinating, daily account with rows detailing the consumption of the Meats, Fish, Butter, Bread, Spices, Candles and of course Wines.

The wines are categorized as “Madeira”, “Claret”, “Champaign”, “Burgundy”, “Ven-de-Grave”, “Sauterne”, and “Sweet wine”.  On all but one day several bottles of Madeira were drunk.  In reviewing his wine orders it is possible to hazard a guess as to what type of Madeira was in those bottles.

The last Madeira order prior to May 1794, was acknowledged on November 20, 1793, when John Marsden Pintard, US Consul at Madeira, shipped “2 Pipes Old particular Madeira” at £38 Sterling each.  The pipes arrived via the sloop Lively at Philadelphia in January 1794.  We know from the Household Account Book that Joseph Sim was paid $484.59 for the two pipes on January 24, 1794.  The very next month on February 3, 1794, the final expense of $2 was paid for “putting in the Cellar”.

Madeira was classified according to quality with the best and most expensive being London Particular.  “Old particular” thus refers to London Particular most likely of two years of age.

 

A pair of Ridge and a blind Caronne Ste Gemme

Lou and I managed to squeeze in several quick glasses of wine between our kids’ basketball games and dinner.  We kicked off with a bottle of NV (bottled in Dec 2000) Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coast Range, Sonoma County.  Both the capsule and label are darker, perhaps indicating this is a non-vintage winemaker’s blend.  It is clearly a Bordeaux blend on the nose with the greenhouse aromas indicating some cooler vintage(s) in the blend.  It is actually well made with an interesting finish and aftertaste, I just wish there was more depth to the fruit flavor.  The 2001 Ridge, Carignane, Buchignani Ranch, Sonoma County is a completely different beast.  The back label indicates that the sugar levels rose on the grapes and what we found in the glass were sweet, over ripe flavors.  I enjoyed it more on the initial pour but then found it too sweet.

Finally, Lou served a bottle blind.  I guessed it was either early 1980s California Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend or 1990s Bordeaux from a cooler vintage.  I was close as it turned out to be 1996 Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme, Haut-Medoc.  Caronne Ste Gemme was a daily drinker for Lou so he thought it fun to try a one.  This particular bottle bears its age very well.  With better balance than the NV Ridge, it is a lively drink at 21 years of age.

NV (bottled in Dec 2000) Ridge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Coast Range, Sonoma County
This wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 2% Petit Verdot.  Alcohol 13.3%.  The nose is finely scented with greenhouse aromas and red/black fruit.  In the mouth this wine has fine grip and focus, showing tart red fruit and leather.  It builds flavor with air as well as a hard wood note, more leather, and delicate cranberry red fruit.  The aftertaste is surprisingly good.  ** Now but will last

2001 Ridge, Carignane, Buchignani Ranch, Sonoma County
This wine is a blend of 99% Carignane and 1% Zinfandel.  Alcohol 14.3%.  There is a sweet, ripe dusty nose of fruit.  In the mouth the flavor is of very ripe berries, tea flavors, chocolate, and sweet fruit.  On re-tasting it tastes of over-ripe fruit.  Though there is still some grip. * Now.

1996 Chateau Caronne Ste Gemme, Haut-Medoc
Imported by Adventures in Wine.  Alcohol 12.5%.  The color shows some age and the nose reveals greenhouse accented fruit.  In the mouth is a focused cloud of fruit with some purple flavors and ink.  It taste of a cool vintage but the attractive structure is in balance, there is some wood box, and an inky hint.  **(*) Now but will last.

“Sercial Sherman”: A look at the 1852 Sercial selected by General Sherman in 1871

In December 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman completed his “March to the Sea” which involved widespread devastation not just of military targets but also industrial and civilian property.  Having reached Savannah, Georgia, his troops turned towards the Carolinas with the intention of reaching Virginia.  Thus at the start of 1865, residents of Charleston, South Carolina took action as General Sherman’s army advanced.

Residents of Charleston were careful to hide and disperse their treasured Madeira collections to avoid consumption by General Sherman’s troops.  Bottles were hidden between rafters, demijohns were buried in the ground and for the South Carolina Jockey Club, the Madeira was hidden in the South Carolina State Hospital for the mentally ill.  The Jockey Club’s Madeira remained untouched but for some families their entire collection was lost.  One family sent eight wagon loads of Madeira nearly 200 miles from Charleston to Cheraw, near the North Carolina border.[1]  The Madeira was captured by General Frank P. Blair before it could be hidden.

General Blair served a few bottles of the captured Madeira to General Sherman who found them “very good”.  General Blair shared the story of its capture and eventually sent a dozen bottles “of the finest Madeira” General Sherman had ever tasted.  The rest of the Madeira was divided equally amongst the army.

Surviving stocks of 19^th century American bottled Madeira are exceedingly rare.  It is ironic then, given the widespread disruption and consumption of Madeira by General Sherman’s army that one of his own bottles was served at The Sensational Sercial Tasting held last year.

Labeled “1852 Sercial Selected By General Sherman On his visit at Madeira, 1871” this bottle was part of a parcel of three bottles acquired by Roy Hersh, For the Love of Port.  The paper-wrapped bottles were purchased from a family on Long Island who had owned them for three decades.  Two of the bottles were labeled as Sercial and one Navy Reserve.  There is no known documentation for these bottles and outside General Sherman’s comments on General Blair’s captured Madeira, he himself wrote nothing else about specific bottles of Madeira.

It was at a dinner in August 1871, with Admiral James Alden and General William W. Belknap, that General Sherman made plans to visit Madeira.[2]  Admiral Alden had been promoted to rear admiral in command of the Mediterranean Squadron.  As General Sherman had never been to Europe he agreed to accompany Admiral Alden on his journey to Spain.  They were to first stop at Madeira.

Admiral Alden was to take the screw frigate Wabash as his flagship.  She was being overhauled at the time.  With repairs complete she left the Boston Navy Yard on November 17, 1871. Just a few weeks later she approached Funchal under steam on December 5, 1871.[3]

USS Wabash. c 1871-1873. Image from Naval History and Heritage Command.

General Sherman wrote very little of wine during his life and little of the “Celebrated Madeira Wine” during his visit as he described it.  His only descriptions of wine relate to the “[b]light destroy the grapes” some 20 years earlier.  He described how “New Vineyards are beginning to reproduce the Same wine”.

He accompanied Admiral Alden on their very first visit ashore which was to a “Mr Walsh’s house”, the Admiral having known him in “former years”.  It is Mannie Berk, The Rare Wine Co., who first suggested that General Sherman perhaps visited Mr. Welsh of the Madeira shippers Welsh Brothers and that perhaps our bottle came from the Welsh’s.[4]

Prior to the Oidium, or blight that General Sherman wrote of, the Welsh Brothers were focused on “cheap light Madeira”.[5]  This succeeded in this business becoming the largest Madeira shipper by 1849.  By 1881, their focused changed to sending the “more costly growths” mostly in bottle to the United States.

That our bottle came from the Welsh’s is corroborated by an article published in Harper’s Magazine during 1919 by Major Charles Wellington Furlong.[6]  Major Furlong was an American explorer and writer who traveled around the world.  This particular article of his describes a hunting trip he took with Charles B. Cossart, Harry Hinton, and Mr. Welsh Jr on a deserted island off of Madeira.

On the last night of the hunt, the party celebrated with a meal of curried rabbit and goat-meat stew accompanied by a bottle of Madeira brought by Mr. Welsh Jr.  It was none other than “a bottle of Sercial wine of a vintage of seventy years.”  This dates the wine to 1849 which essentially matches the 1852 vintage of our bottle.  Mr. Welsh Jr. explained that wine was called “Sercial Sherman” because at Christmas time “General Sherman sent for four bottles, and since then his daughter has followed her father’s custom.”

It seems unequivocal that our 1852 General Sherman Sercial came from the Welsh Brothers.  It is also possible that the Madeira Wine Association (MWA), in part formed by Hinton and Welsh, marketed wine under the name “Sercial Sherman”.  Since this bottle is not labeled “Sercial Sherman” it is possible it was shipped during General Sherman’s lifetime which means it arrived in the United States between 1871 and 1891.

---

[1] Sherman, William Tecumseh.  “Memoirs of General William T. Sherman”, 1876.

[2] Ibid.

[3] General William Tecumseh Sherman to Thomas E. Sherman.  December 5, 1871. CSHR 9/59. Sherman Letters. University of Notre Dame. URL: http://archives.nd.edu/findaids/ead/index/fulltext/cshr9_59.htm

[4] See Mannie Berk’s background information on the wine in the Sensational Sercial tasting booklet. April 30, 2016.

[5] Vizetelly, Henry. Facts About Port and Madeira. 1880.

[6] Furlong, Major Charles Wellington. “Hunting With the Lords of the Dezertas” Harper’s Magazine, Volume 138. 1919.

More outstanding bottles of Domaine des Tours

Just over a year ago I was blown away by the quality and future potential of the 2010 Domaine des Tours, VdP Vaucluse.  This wine was served blind during a tasting at Phil’s house.  It is his quote which leads off the title of my post “Freakishly” good bottles of Chateau des Tours.  Phil has recently brought in a few more selections from des Tours and this week I drank two of them.

The 2011 Domaine des Tours, VdP Vaucluse is in a great spot right now.  It offers a bit more depth of flavor eventually coating the tongue with glycerin and weight.  The 2012 Domaine des Tours, VdP Vaucluse is brighter with more primary fruit flavor.  Both of them are made in that throwback style of mouth filling flavor without oozing fruit, tannin, and alcohol.  For current drinking I give a nod towards the less expensive 2011.  However, both of these wines should be in your cellar and glass.

2011 Domaine des Tours, VdP Vaucluse – $30
Alcohol 13.5%.  This is a rather, light cranberry-garnet color.  The wine is deeper in flavor with more mineral infused red fruit.  After the acidity driven, zippy start is a racy middle with a deeper, bass note of flavor.  With air it builds weight and glycerin as the flavors lay on top of your tongue.  It even develops a floral, hop aroma.  **** Now – 2027.

2012 Domaine des Tours, VdP Vaucluse – $32
Alcohol 13.5%.  This sports brighter, grippy red fruit.  In fact there is a more prominent display of floral red fruit.  Minerality does come out from the middle to the finish.  The wine is a little firm at first with youthful tension.  With air it too builds weight and glycerin but remains riper and fruitier with flavors of strawberry and apricot.  There is a little bit of ink and structure in the finish.  **** Now – 2030.