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A tasting with Lou: Sandlands, Sanguis, Soumade and more
Lou and I gathered quite a while ago to drink some randomly selected wines. A new wine for me is the NV Phillippe Tessier, Phil’en Bulle. It is a little sweet for me so perhaps better with dessert. Of particular note is the white wine 2017 Linne Calodo, Contrarian, Paso Robles. I should also note the very young 2016 Domaine la Soumade, Cuvee Prestige, Rasteau which, with several years of age, will become a very good wine. 2017 Sandlands Vineyards, Red Table Wine, Contra Costa County is a young wine for drinking now. A solid bottle of 1989 Raymond Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, Napa Valley delivered surprise and pleasure. A pair of Sanguis offered a fun comparison even if they should have been drunk up a few years ago. The 2011 Sanguis, 11-A, John Bastiano is very clean, chalky, and full of verve. For a brief bit, I preferred the luxury of the 2011 Sanguis, 11-B, Bienacido but it sadly cracked up after a short period.
NV Phillippe Tessier, Phil’en Bulle, Loire
A Zev Rovine Selection imported by Fruit of the Vine. Alcohol 12.5%. A slightly hazy, light straw yellow. Very fine and strong bubbles carry the ripe, sweetish start. Some yeast the short finish. **(*) Now.
2017 Linne Calodo, Contrarian, Paso Robles
This is a blend of 50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Picpoul Blanc, and 20% Viognier. Alcohol 13.7%. Refreshing with good acidity white nuts and expansive flavor. A core of tropical fruit remains but the gum, coating texture adds presence. Notes of pastilles in the finish. **** Now – 2022.
2011 Sanguis, 11-A, John Bastiano, Santa Rita Hills
Alcohol 14%. A very light color with a green tinge. A little toast on the nose eventually blows off. Tart with some berry toast. Clean with chalk and yellow fruit. Plenty of verve. ** Now.
2011 Sanguis, 11-B, Bien Nacido, Santa Maria Valley
Alcohol 14.8%. A touch more fruit and weight, oily in the middle with a steely finish. Racy with good balance, it has some toast flavors. With air it begins to crack up revealing acidity and heat. *** at best but Past Prime.
2017 Sandlands Vineyards, Red Table Wine, Contra Costa County
A blend of Carignan and Mataro. Alcohol 12.9% Grapey with cranberry flavor and chalky tannins. Tart with crunchy acidity this sports an interesting mineral, fruit blend. *** Now – 2022.
2016 Domaine la Soumade, Cuvee Prestige, Rasteau
Imported by MacArthur Liquors. Alcohol 14.5%. A grapey, young color and tight, grapey nose. Tight in the mouth but there is a lovely vein of fruit through the linear structure. Beautiful fat from the ripeness, it is powerful, building flavor. ***(*) 2024-2034.
1989 Raymond Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, Napa Valley
Mature with Eucalyptus. Some firmness in the mouth but the Cab flavor comes out. In fresh shape this is a tasty wine with focused, ripe fruit, some dry wood notes, and structure in the end. *** Now.
Liquid Farm to my table
Just a quick post as I continue to spend the end of summer on vacation. Thanks to Andy at MacArthur Beverages I picked up a bottle of 2015 Liquid Farm, Chardonnay, White Hill, Santa Rita Hills. This is a refreshing Chardonnay best consumed in one night. I particularly like the texture and crisp acidity which precedes the surprisingly chalky middle. It is certainly worth securing a bottle.
2015 Liquid Farm, Chardonnay, White Hill, Santa Rita Hills – $37
Alcohol 13%. The very light straw color leads to toasty fruit aromas. The finely textured flavors ride crisp acidity which brings toast-accented white fruit. There is an attractive chalky middle which turns dry by the finish. ***(*) Now – 2019.
Cinsault and Pinot Noir from California
We recently went through a few bottles of the 2014 Birichino, Cinsault Old Vines, Brechthold Vineyards, Mokelumne River, Lodi. Last tasted nearly a year ago I think it is time to start drinking up any of your remaining stocks. From Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman the 2014 Lompoc Wine Co, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills manages to be a lighter wine with lower alcohol and avoid any unripe, yeasty character. I rather enjoyed the flavor and the price. My only gripe is the short finish. Worth trying though. The Birichino is from Weygant Wines and the Lompoc from MacArthur Beverages.
2014 Birichino, Cinsault Old Vines, Brechthold Vineyards, Mokelumne River, Lodi – $24
This wine is 100% Cinsault sourced from vines planted in 1886. Alcohol 13%. After one hour of air there are aromas of powdery, light red strawberry. There are similar flavors in the mouth of candied, cherry, strawberry in this smooth yet very finely textured wine. This bright red fruited wine is quite nice and while lighter towards the finish the fruit leaves an impression of weight. It could use just a touch more acidity. **(*) Now – 2017.
2014 Lompoc Wine Co, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills – $18
Alcohol 12.5%. There is a light nose of cinnamon and early harvest fruit. In the mouth the wine is a touch puckering but does have powdery ripeness and ethereal strawberry flavor. The wine expands quickly with a sense of weight but stops a bit short in the finish. The bright entry makes way to a mineral like hint and even some grip. **(*) Now.
The zippy 2015 Melville, Chardonnay, Clone 76 – Inox
A few of the Californian Chardonnays that I drink on a frequent basis were raised entirely in stainless steel. I find these wines can provide both the texture and weight that I enjoy. The 2015 Melville, Chardonnay, Clone 76 – Inox, Santa Rita Hills is another excellent example of this type of wine. The fruit is sourced from a 1.8 acre block of vines located on very sandy soils. The Melville wines were originally made by Greg Brewer but after his departure last year the wines are made by Chad Melville. This particular wine is charming once it warms up a bit. It is zippy with weight, picking up more fruit as it progresses. I preferred the wine on the first night rather than the second but do not be fooled, this wine will develop over the next few years. It is available at MacArthur Beverages.
2015 Melville, Chardonnay, Clone 76 – Inox, Santa Rita Hills – $35
This wine is 100% Chardonnay that was fermented for three months then aged on the lees in stainless steel tanks for 5 months. Alcohol 14%. With a rounded start, this grippy and zippy wine has nice weight to the mouth filling flavors. The flavors move through the finish where it picks up some berry fruit, fat, and nuts. ***(*) Now – 2021.
Pinot Noir from Block 7 and Samsara
This past week we investigated two relatively affordable Californian Pinot Noirs. The Block 7 is produced by another winery from its own declassified fruit. Samsara is a producer I am unfamiliar with so I grabbed their entry level wine. The Block 7 is a decent drink with a lighter, fruitier personality. My recommendation is to spend a few more bucks to embrace the power and vitality of the Samsara. There is no mistaking this bottle of Californian Pinot Noir and if that is what you want to drink, you will enjoy drinking the entire bottle. Both of these wines are available at MacArthur Beverages.
2010 Block 7, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast – $22
This wine is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the Sonoma Stage Vineyard which is planted with Dijon clones. It was fermented with indigenous yeasts then aged sur lie for 11 months in 30% new French oak. This is a light ruby color in the glass with a touch of garnet. The light nose steps out with red fruit which is definitely Cali-Pinot. In the mouth there is an intial burst of bluer than red fruit, a touch of toast, then some spices. The flavors lighten up and almost come across as watery at first but after a few hours they flesh out. There are notes of toast and spices in the finish. ** Now.
2010 Samsara, Pinot Noir, Santa Rita Hills – $26
This wine is 100% Piont Noir which was fermented with indigenous yeasts, underwent malolactic fermentation, and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. The nose is reminiscent of floral red fruit with the addition of gobs of cinnamon spice. In the mouth there is a lot of fruit with prickly strawberry, cinnamon, and mouthfilling spice. This textured wine is full of energy and wants to jump out of the glass. There are flavors of sweet spice in the finish. It is a little spicy, initially unrestrained (in a good sense) before settling down with air, taking on a creamier mouthfeel. It then reveals an inky nature, supple black fruit, and power. *** Now-2017.
2010 diatom Chardonnays
Diatom is a project of Greg Brewer who also works at Brewer-Clifton and Melville. Named after the diatomite soils found in the Santa Rita Hills this project was started in 2005. The philosophy is to remove all external influences so as to produce a wine that is true to the specific grapes harvested. Fermentation takes place in very cold neutral vessels and malolactic fermentation is inhibited. The wine is aged on its lees.
When it comes to red wines, I shy away from the big, rich, oaky wines. But with white wines, I rather enjoy the big, buttery California Chardonnays. I typically drink just one glass of white wine at a time so I never get a chance to be fatigued by the wine. It was with great curiosity that I tried these two wines which are at the extreme opposite of big and buttery. I did not like them. I tried them over three days and at both cold and warm temperatures. They both barely budged in development. I preferred the Hana Shinobu over the Miya but certainly not at these prices. Perhaps I would enjoy the Clos Pepe or Huber. Trying these wines left me wanting to drink a 2009 German Riesling such as the Schafer Frohlich, Bockenauer Felseneck Spatlese for $30.
I purchased these wines from MacArthur’s. The Miya cost roughly $46 and the Hana Shinobu was $34.
2010 diatom, Miya, Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills
There were 2,760 bottles of this 13.5% Abv wine produced. This wine is a rather light, straw color. There light nose reveals grapey, floral aromas. In the mouth this steely wine has some mineral, tart fruit and piercing citrus-like acidity. There is some mid-palate complexity. * Now.
2010 diatom, Hana Shinobu, Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills
There were 900 bottles of this 12.7% Abv wine produced. The vineyards are younger. This wine has a light, fresh nose of stones and flowers. Again there is piercing acidity, tart flavors before it puts on midpalate weight. Flint flavors develop with the longish finish. ** Now-2015.