A Tasting of 1997 IGT / Super Tuscan

95/95 Tasting for May. All wines served blind. Phenomenal texture and youth in all of these bottles. Everyone who tasted was incredibly impressed by the quality of the wines.

Villa Cafaggio Cortaccio

Overview: 100% Cabernet and at least 6 months in 100% new French oak barriques. Cabernet viens grafted onto Canaiolo rootstock.

Notes: On the nose, dark and brooding. Slight medicinal/herbal note. On the palate, still tight, thick and slightly chalky. Dusty cherries, violets, and raspberries. Lengthy finish. Aged but so youthful.


Montiano Falesco

Overview: 100% Merlot from Lazio. 12 months in Nevers and Tronçais barriques

Notes: Smells like a tack room, barnyard funk and leathery notes. On the palate, more Bordeaux-like in style, leathery tobacco. Hot, shorter finish. Thick.


Frescobaldi Lamaione

Overview: 100% Merlot from the 12 acre Lamione vineyard at Tenuta di Castel Giocondo in Montalcino. 18 months in oak.

Notes: Menthol, burnt rubber, cherry Band-Aid on the nose. On the palate, leaner and cleaner. Elegant finish. Nice acid and bright cherries.


Isole e Olena Cepparello

Overview: 100% Sangiovese, 14 months in 1/3 new French oak.

Notes: Cherries dusted in coco powder on the nose. Deep. Bright raspberries and cherries on the palate. Nice Acid.

A Tasting of 1996 Burgundy

April's 95/95 Tasting. All wines served blind, this time with a ringer. The wines evolved nicely after being open for a few hours and would have benefited from a good decanting. Perhaps next time. There was discussion about improper storage leading to some noticeable flaws in the wines.
Overall, the wines tended to the funkier side but all with nice fruit and tannin profiles; quite youthful and ripe.

My (unfortunate) favorite (as was the group's) was the Becker Sankt Paul Spatburgunder (2006).

Bernard Dugat-Py, Gevrey-Chambertin

Notes: Nose of mossy berries and dusty vanilla. On the palate, tomato leaf with underlying berry fruit and nice acid.


Bouchard Pere & Fils, Bonnes Mares

Notes: Overpowering medicinal berries and Captain Crunchberries on the nose. Tight tannins, dark berries, tomato leaf on the palate. Pretty profile.


Thomas-Moillard, Romanee Saint Vivant

Notes: Damp earth and berries, chalky, vegetal nose. Thick on the palate with under-ripe clean fruits. Lots of fruit tannins.


Dom. Maume, Charmes-Chambertin

Notes: Slightly medicinal nose, also scents of hay. Nice berries on the palate, tart, moderate ripeness. Tight, lean tannins.


Friedrick Becker Sankt Paul

Notes: The ringer, a Spatburgunder (2006) which in hindsight was way too clean to be a burgundy. Nose of vanilla and currant. Minty cherries on the palate, pure silky tannins (which lacked just slightly).


Henri Perrot-Minot, Mazoyeres-Chambertin

Notes: Under-ripe raspberries and dirty socks on the nose. Enjoyable menthol tinged fruits on the palate. Lean and not overly complex.


Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin

Notes: Minty chocolate on the nose without much fruit. Light, clean and pretty fruit on the palate. Youthful with thin acidic tannins.


Anne-Gros, Vosne-Romanee 'Le Barreaux'

Notes: Stinky nose with whiffs of dirty diaper and vanilla. Dark fruits on the palate with a shorter finish and surprisingly, relatively clean.


Dominique Laurent, Charmes-Chambertin

Notes: Nose of grain (like boxed cereal). Lightest and most under-ripe of all the wines. Less enjoyable.

A Tasting of 2000 Bordeaux

Another 95/95 tasting, all wines served blind with corks pulled several hours before serving.


La Petit Cheval

Overview: St. Emillion, 50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot.

Notes: Reticent nose with underlying dark fruits and lots of tobacco and earth. On the palate delicate structure, well integrated tannins, and dark fruit. My favorite of the tasting.


Branon

Overview: Pessac Leognan, 50% Cabernet, 50% Merlot.

Notes: Nose of skunky marijuana and no fruit. On the palate barnyard flavors covering hints of bright fruit.


Pichon Lalande

Overview: Pauillac, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot

Notes: Loads of oak, vanilla, pepper, and spice on the nose. Palate similar to the nose, hidden fruit, slightly vegetal, barnyard


Troplong Mondot

Overview: St. Emillion, 90% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc

Notes: Nice fruit, stony, deep minerality, plush with strong tannins.


Gruaud-Larose

Overview: St. Juilen, 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec

Notes: Earthy tobacco nose. Well structured with eucalyptus and menthol notes


Leoville Barton

Overview: St. Juilen, 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc

Notes: Gamey nose, wild brambly fruits. More new world than most. Non-fruits on mid palate, flat on the finish.


Pichon Baron

Overview: Pauillac, 70% Cabernet, 25% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc

Notes: Damp moldy cellar nose, bright fruit on the palate which turns to non-fruit funkiness. Evolving tannins. Consensus winner of the tasting.


Certan de May

Overview: Pomerol, 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot

Notes: Ripe fruits, menthol, lacking...


Monbousquet

Overview: St. Emillion, 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon

Notes: Chocolaty notes on the nose, extracted woody tannins.


Figeac

Overview: St. Emillion, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot

Notes: Nose pops with vegetables (Franc). Ripe fruits, nice plushness, hidden tight tannins. Slightly thin on the mid-palate. Green beans.


Pavie Macquin

Overview: St. Emillion, 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot

Notes: Dark berries on the nose, bright on the palate, cleaner than most but not distinctive.


Bonus!

1976 Margeaux

Slightly bricked, no real fruit on the nose, toffee, better on the palate, rotten-style cherries (but in a good way)


2001 Rieussec

Thick with honeyed melons and tropical fruit, unctuous but not cloyingly sweet. Delicious!

A tasting with Karen Culler at Wolf Family Vineyards

Spent a wonderful morning at Wolf Family Vineyards with winemaker Karen Culler and hospitality manager Melinda Kearney (also of Intersection Wine Company). Probably one of the nicest tasting/touring experiences I've ever had; it was like sitting down with old friends.

The property is situated on the far west side of St.Helena is in total about 30 acres with around 7 in vines. Cabernet Sauvignon makes up over half with the front vineyard planted in 1996 to clones 7 and 337. They are in the process of converting to organic farming practices, although Karen said they probably wouldn't seek full certification.

Interesting quote of the day by Karen: 'Rootstock is the biggest reason we have to pick later'.



On to the wines...


2008 Wolf Family Sauvignon Blanc

Overview: The site sits on less than an acre directly behind the Wolf Family house and is planted on gravelly soils. The blend was 75% Sauvignon Blanc, 25% Sauvignon Musque, alcohol 13.5%, picked around 22 Brix. 176 cases.

Notes: Ripe fruit on the nose, honeysuckle, fig, tropical fruits. Same fruit profile on the palate, grassy, bright, slightly creamy with a whisper of oak.


2007 Culler Syrah

Overview: Napa. I believe a blend of two sites around the Coombsville area.

Notes: Explosive blueberry nose, on the palate is meaty/fatty with lavender and a bit of menthol.


2006 Wolf Family Cabernet Franc

Overview: From vines on the far west of the property, planted in the 70's on rocky soils. Blend of 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Alcohol 14.9%, 122 cases produced.

Notes: Peppery nose, rich and layered on the palate with blueberries and other dark fruits, tobacco leaf, pleasantly herbal.


2006 Wolf Creek Cabernet Sauvignon

Overview: From 4.5 acres on the valley floor. 100% Cabernet, 14.5 % Alcohol, picked at 27.5 Brix, 4 day cold soak, 20 months with 74% new French. 480 cases

Notes: The first thought when I smelled this wine was gummy bears, which evolved into other juicy fruits and a bit of black tea. On the palate the wine was plush and rich with non-jammy dark fruits, chalky.


2006 Culler Howell Mountain Cabernet

Overview: From Ladera grapes, 100% Cabernet, 14.8% Alcohol.

Notes: Elegant and deep nose filled with dark fruits. Same on the palate with soft, tight tannins. The wine had a pleasant chewy quality.


2006 Culler 'La Palette'

Overview: 95% Cabernet, 5% Petit Verdot. 14.4% Alcohol, valley floor fruit.

Notes: Bright with rough but well integrated tanning and hidden ripeness.


2007 Wolf Family 'Phaedrus'

Overview: Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec from the western most, and youngest vineyards.

Notes: Typical Napa style Caberenet based wine, chalky tannins, nice structure.


2008 Lorenza Rose

Overview: Melinda Kearney's first release. Lodi fruit, 62% Mourvedre, 62% Carignane, 4% Cinsault, 2% Syrah. Picked at 21 Brix, whole cluster pressed and soaked on the skins for a couple hours.

Notes: Quite beautiful, Provencal style. Nicely structured, floral, delicious.

A tasting with Randall Grahm (2/5/10)

"These days you have one shot to tell your story, make sure it is a good one."

Randall Grahm swung into UC Davis Friday on his Been Doon So Long book tour and held a private tasting with V&E students and one random guy lucky enough to sneak in. A few of his musings are listed below followed by notes from the tasting.

"Welcome to my nightmare" was how Randall Gram opened the show. Grahm was especially candid and spoke for a majority of his time about the hypocrisy of preaching the values of terroir and biodynamics while running a 450,000 cs/year winery, dealing with 70+ different growers who had no interest in organic or biodynamic farming and ultimately how great it was to shrink Bonny Doon to about 35,000 cs/year. I found it refreshing to hear Grahm reflect openly about his personal and business related shortcomings.

Specifically talking about embracing biodynamics and natural winemaking, "biodynamics is about reforming yourself, not the vineyard". When asked about being an industry trendsetter, "David Bruce did most of the things I was doing 10 years before me."

On the Parkerization of wine:

"Homogeneity in the wine business is self-correcting and terroir is the answer" followed by "you know, people who think of oak as a primary flavor in wine are the ones who view ketchup as a vegetable"

And my favorite quote from the night, beautiful in its simplicity,

"An original wine brings infinite joy and richness to the world"

2008 Ca Del Solo Albarino

Overview: Soledad. 75% Albarino with 21% Loureiro and 4% Treixadura . Biodynamic, no acid adjustments, no added enzymes or yeasts but a small pH adjustment. 12.8% alcohol.

Notes: Grapefruit richness and tangerine cream with hints of bay leaf. “Whatever minerality is, this wine has it” – R.G.

2007 Cigare Blanc

Overview: 2/3 Roussane, 1/3 Grenache Blanc. Arroyo Seco AVA, Beeswax vineyard. 14.5% alcohol. Vines are irrigated in the center of the row in diamond patterns to promote root growth.

Notes: Bright beeswax citrus, rich and lightly minty, creamy, quince, pear skin.Needed food, a delicious wine.

2008 Vin Gris de Cigare

Overview: Blend of 58% Grenache, 18%cinsault, 7% Mourvdre, 4% syrah, 3% Grenache blanc. Alcohol 13.6%

Notes: Strawberry perfume, rhubarb, hint of terragon, slightly creamy.

2006 Syrah Le Pousseur

Overview: 96% Syrah, 4% Grenache, Alcohol 13%, Central Coast AVA

Notes: Beautifully fragrant and pointed on the nose. Gamey with thick tannins that relax nicely on the palate, High acid, tart cherries and blueberries, long finish. Reminiscent of Pic Saint Loup.

2005 Le Cigare Volant Rouge

Overview: 50% Grenache, 24% Mourvedre, 22% Syrah, 3% Carignane, 1% Cinsault. Lees from the previous vintage are conserved and stirred in with this year’s to add to the silkiness on the palate, no racking. Alcohol 13.5%

Notes: Closed on the nose, silky tannins, thick and rich dark fruits, velvety. Could have used a good decanting.

2008 Vinferno

Overview: 50% Grenache blanc, 50% Roussane. Grapes dried in the vineyard for two weeks. Brix pushed from 24 to about 36.

Notes: Honeycomb and guava fruits. Thick and unctuous. Great length and wonderful acidity. Palate coating deliciousness.

A Tasting of 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (2/4/10)

Meeting of 95/95 in Yountville. Wines were tasted blind with corks pulled 9 hours prior to pouring. I felt guilty as these wines were way too young and some slightly awkward. Overall quality was high.

Domaine Grand Veneur 'Les Origines'

Overview: 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Mouvedre. 18 months in new oak casks.

Notes: Bright cherry/blueberry and chalk dust nose, silky tight tannins that grow on the palate, nice length with herbal/menthol notes, graphite. Nice acid. Distinctive. One of my favorites of the tasting.


Pierre Usseglio 'Cuvee De Mon Aieul'

Overview: A blend of 3 specific terroirs (Serres, Bedine, La Crau). 100% Grenache.

Notes: Closed on the nose with just a hint of barnyard and fat, not much fruit. Nose evolved into a sweet cinnamon flavor. On the palate, round and rich. Evolved quite nicely after a couple hours in the glass into thick rich fruits and relaxed tannins. One of my least favorites straight out of the bottle, but definitely grew on me as the wine opened up. Quite nice.


La Cote De L'Ange 'Vielles Vignes'

Overview: 100% Grenache, 80yr old vines average.

Notes: Smokey and thick, slightly angular, round red fruits (prunes). After a while in the glass lavender perfume notes become apparent, tight tannins, just a hint of VA.


Clos Saint-Jean 'Vielles Vignes'

Overview: Situated in La Crau, 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 4% Mourvedre, 3% Cinsault, 2% Vaccarese and 1% Muscardin. Grenache tank aged but the other red varieties are aged in new or one-year-old barrels for about 12 months.

Notes: Nice nose with fruits rising to the top, plush, fine tannins, rich and velvety red fruits. Classic CdP. After a while in glass VA became quite noticeable.


Roger Sabon 'Prestige'

Overview: Produced from vines that average 90 years in age. Blend of 60% grenache, 15% syrah, 10% mouvdre. 65% aged in foudres, rest in new oak.

Notes: Earth and bacon fat on the nose, layered red fruits on the palate. Quite fruity with stony undertones. Slightly unbalanced out of the bottle. Evolved into dark thick plush fruit and integrated tannins that really coated the palate, very enjoyable.


La Vieux Donjon

Overview: 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault. Aged for 6 months in cement tank and then about 12 months in foudres.

Notes: Meaty nose, richly fruited and super ripe on the palate. Soft with good acid. After a while menthol notes became apparent, fruits became muddled.


Bonus!

Quetsche D'Alsace Eaux de vie

Overview: Ancient bottle of plum brandy, faded/torn label, quarter fill, dry cork, 90 proof

Notes: Looked like lemon juice in the glass, hazy with a yellow tinge. Nose of citrus and liniment. Slightly aggressive on the palate with lemon and grapefruit notes. Interesting, though not quite to my palate, probably much better after a large meal.

Cobb Tasting at Jardiniere (01/31/10)

Wonderful tasting at Jardiniere with Ross and David Cobb. Would have liked to taste the other 2007 SKUs that were released previously.

2007 'Jack Hill'

Overview: 2 acres overlooking Freestone Valley near Occidental. Soils are sandy loam, clones are a mix of Dijon 667, 115, 828, west facing slope.

Notes: Beautiful black cherry and white pepper, great acid, purity, supple tannins with hints of licorice. Coming back after tasting the other wines Jack Hill showed a little darker and earthier with a little more cola, perhaps a hint of heat on the palate. Alcohol 13.8, 240 cs.

2007 'Emmaline'

Overview: Emmaline vineyard is near Sebastopol with heavy ocean influences. Two Dijon varieties planted in Goldridge loam. Yield approx 2 tons/acre.

Notes: Meatier (tuna tartare), slightly darker than Jack Hill. Rounder fruits, not as expressive. Damp earth, plums, peppery cherry cola and rose petals. Started out closed, but evolved nicely in the glass, noticeable oak notes. Alcohol 13.0, 310 cs.


2007 Coastlands Vineyard 'Diane'

Overview: Originally planted in 1989 with 20 relatively unknown clones and doubled in 1996 with a single variety. 1.5 acres

Notes: Quite reserved on the nose with notes of cedar and black cherry. Slightly smokey and meaty (pork fat). Light fruits, ripping acidity, lean tight tannins, licorice and citrus (blood orange), rose perfume, creamy finish. Impossible beautiful and supple. The pinnacle of American Pinot production. Alcohol 13.4, 90cs.