Wines Tasted, May 20, 2010

ForeFront by Pine Ridge - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa Valley - 2008 - (Modern, Drinker) - $24 - ForeFront is a value priced line of wines from the established Pine Ridge Vineyards in Napa's Stags Leap District.  With this vintage of Cabernet they blend in Syrah from outside of Napa sources (9% San Louis Obisbo County and 7% Lake County) to balance an Estate driven base of Bordeaux varietals.  The wine has seen the classic Pine Ridge treatment in French bariques for 16 months, which has left the nearly opaque ruby/black wine and its dark ruby rim with a nose of: blackberry, black cherry and black plum fruit as well as coffee bean, light vannillin and dark floral notes.  The palate continues with ripe dark fruits and a slightly floral note in the mouth.  This 2008 is full bodied, moderately high in tannin and of medium+ length.  Drink from early 2011 to 2018.

Wines Tasted April 2, 2010

Chateau Lafon-Rochet - St. Estephe - Medoc - Bordeaux - 1970 - $NA - (Classic) - With a pale red color and brick rim, this wine showed every bit of its age.  It was a bit floculated with stirred sediment (a measure of its handling and not its storage) and decanted roughly, but was an enjoyable time machine in a bottle.  Dry cherry, currant and cranberry fruit aromas with sandlewood, tobacco and wet gravel notes added complexity.  It was dry and of low tannin, yet with acid on its side.  It was more of a, drink-and-think, than a drink-and-discuss, wine.  Left us before we left it.  Drink now if you own it....

Food and Wine Pairings for Vintage Pine Ridge Cabernets - 1995 - 2000

Food and Wine Pairings for Vintage Pine Ridge Cabernets - 

For the 1995 and 1996 Rutherford Cabernets, I’d take the maturity of the wines in mind when considering a food pairing.  Paramount in a pairing are body/structure acessments, and fruit/acid acessments.  In these two vintages, I see wines that display a structure more in tune with Rioja Crianza than with lets say, Bordeaux (not a bad thing!).  The wine has lost its grip on oak and is still delivering its primary fruits, but has gathered in bunches, its secondary and tertiary aromatics.  Dried flowers, sherry, almond and walnut all lay side by side with red berry and currant.  This takes me to a few potential places in the market: 1.) Poultry Counter: Roast or grilled whole or half chicken (even beer-can chicken!), Duck or Chicken Sausage, Rotesserie of Pheasant, or even Chicken Satay for an appetizer (with peanut sauce perhaps).  2.) The Nut Bins or “Area”:  Here we can incorporate Marcona Almonds, Cashews, Pistaccios or Pine Nuts in our dish to compliment or bird as well as add additional protein.  3.) Cheese Counter:  Here we can find great nutty, tangy,  Sheep’s milk cheese to incorporate into our meal with these wines.  Abbaye de Belloc, Petite Basque, Petite Agour, Ossau Iraty or Sao George all come to mind as great options.

As we get into the 1997, 1999 and 2000 vintages, we see wines with more varietal freshness, as well as more observable oak.  These wines express more flesh as well as “sweetness” of fruit.  They also keep me safely in the: Season-it, Grill-it, Eat-it camp.  All I want with a Cab of this caliber is a well seasoned piece of steak on my new Webber!  I’d not think twice about grilling up some sliced eggplant, zucchini and summer squash, then tossing them with fresh thyme and basil and wrapping them up to rest and keep warm on the top shelf of my grill, while I prepared the, “feast of beast”: a NY Striploin or Rib-Eye of beef generously salted and peppered, rubbed with a little oil and grilled to medium-rare.  Have a little coarse sea-salt on hand to sprinkle about as needed and you’ve hit a Major League Home Run!  If we have some wine left for a little cheese course, I’d feel like harder is better (it’s hot outside and soft cheese tends to run quickly); 3 Year Aged Gouda, Aged Pecorino; or Pitxun are all hard cheeses with more to offer with big Cabernet with plush texture.  Good luck and enjoy your 4^th of July Holiday!

Wines Tastes October 21, 2009

2001 Onyx – Threw major sediment.  Color was a transparent medium garnet with a medium red rim and a thick pink band leading to a clear meniscus.

The nose was of fresh red cherry, red plum, black plum, vanilla, cedar, ground cinnamon, clove and dried anise.

The palette revealed the immediate fleshyness of the plum and cherry fruit, while air allows the development of dried sage, black pepper and bresola as well as dried violets and dried bluberries to bolster the finish.

The wine has medium acidity, medium tannin and medium plus alcohol.

2003 Fortis – Threw major sediment.  Color was deep garnet/black fading to a medium garnet rim with a thin clear meniscus.

Aromas of coconut, vanilla, cedar shingles, black plum, cassis and very ripe red and black cherry led an aromatic charge on my senses. 

While the palette showcased spicy black plum, cassis, red cherry and kirsch liquor with cedar, cocoa, bakers chocolate, cinnamon bark and pink peppercorn.

The 2003 Fortis had medium acidity, medium tannin and medium plus to high alcohol.

2004 Fortis – Threw nearly no sediment at this point, but expect it in the future.  Opaque Garnet/black color fades to a medium garnet rim with a pink meniscus. 

Aromas of pure cassis, blackberry, black cherry, black plum and Hoisin sauce were driven like a 911 Turbo across my senses! 

Just unforgettable in its intensity!!  Full of sweet cocoa, vanilla and fruit extract along with the aforementioned fruits.

Tannin was moderate, moderate acid and moderate plus alcohol

September 29, 2008 - Wines Tasted

Tonight we held a blind tasting of the following 2005 vintage wines and the employee panel made the following selections (tasting notes to follow):

#1 – Fortis with 69pts
#2 – Hourglass with 66pts
#3 – Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace with 57pts
#4 – Schrader Cellars Beckstoffer with 50pts
#5 – tie – Revana & Pavilion Rouge de Ch Margaux with 47pts each
#7 – Spootswoode with 46pts
#8 – Switchback Ridge with 42pts
#9 – Ch Rauzan Segla with 40pts
#10 – Insignia with 38pts
#11 – Melka Metisse with 27pts
#12 – Dominus with 20pts

August 22, 2008 Wines Tasted

Bryant Family Vineyards - Cabernet Sauvignon - 2005 - $390 - (Ager, Modern, Stand Alone, Showpiece) - The 2005 Bryant was made by Philippe Melka and is clearly in his style: black cherry, cassis, smoky currant, barnyard, espresso and bitter chocolate lace the nose of this high octane Cabernet. Upon entry, the wine's earthiness diffuses to ripe and lightly minty currant and pure cassis syrup. A dense, full bodied wine which has both high alcohol and, "gladiator-like" tannin. A long firm finish with moderate acidity for such a ripe wine. A wine built for the cellar, it should age effortlessly until 2025. Believe it or not, we had grilled chicken drumsticks, summer squash with garlic, and baked potatoes with squab confit and butter.

-Mark Aubert has made the wine from the 2007 vintage, and preliminary exposure has foretold of greater things to come at Bryant Family Vineyards. Stay posted.


Ramey - Jericho Canyon - Cabernet Sauvignon - 2005 - $110 - (Classic, Ager, Stand Alone) - First whiff of the nose simmers up: black olives and very ripe currants, plums and cassis. More air releases the vanallin, spice box, and tarry tobacco qualities I'd expect more from the Oakville Bench rather than Calistoga's northern reaches. The vineyard had supplied Rudd for years with it's produce, but former Rudd winemaker David Ramey steals the show and the prestige with this almost, "classically" styled Cabernet. The mouth is full and lush, with medium full tannin and medium acidity. Fruit is a player in this game, but not the the soul of the wine. Secondary chocolate, olive, and earth also rise to be counted in. Should age well into 2020.

August 8, 2008 - Wines Tasted - Double Blind

The following wines were all fantastic examples of Napa Cabernet at the highest level and I'd love to savored each and every one over the course of hours, we had 60 minutes.
They were tasted double blind, side by side, allowed to air for 1 hour, out of Riedel-Vinum stemware. A panel of 8 all judged one wine as their favorite, the Pine Ridge Fortis.

Pine Ridge Winery - Fortis 2005 - $135 - (Modern, Showpiece, Stand Alone, Ager) - The unanimous winner with 8 out of 8 firsts. Aromas of caramel, spice, currant, black cherry, pepper, cinnamon, and light cedar. A full bodied wine with moderate high tannin. The palette revealed brown butter, black cherry, currant, milk chocolate and anise. I easily picked this out as the PRW wine and judged it (3rd on nose and 2nd on palette) 1st overall.

Caymus Vineyards - Special Select - 2005 - $150 - (Modern, Showpiece, Stand Alone) - By far my favorite in the nose: profound black cherry, black raspberry, plum; super-clean well integrated wood notes.
Pure disappointment on the palette: very ripe, juicy red berry and currant, almost sweet, with a short finish and obvious heat(but not super hot). I found it to be two faced. I thought either Staglin or Caymus. Selected it (1st on nose and 5th on palette) 5th overall.

Colgin Vineyards - IX - 2005 - $400 - (Showpiece, Modern, Stand Alone) - The "ringer" of the tasting, and my first time tasting this wine. The nose blew up with spice box, black currant, plum, and heavy cassis liquor. Well perfumed and elegant in the nose. On the palette I found it a touch minty, with plum, cassis, and resin on a long finish. Definitely the hottest wine in the group in nose and mouth. Firm in tannin and moderate in acid, I thought it could be Shafer Hillside but alas, I was not prepared for a Colgin in the mix. Selected (4th in the nose and 3rd in the mouth) 3rd overall.

Dominus Estate - 2005 - $140 - (Classic, Showpiece, Ager, Food Wine) - Easily identified in the tasting due to its "differences": caramel, spice box, Earth, granular mineral notes, herb & cocoa notes all intermingle in the glass. The palette confirms this with firm tannin, bitter-sweet chocolate, cassis, plum, and a sauvage nature purely attributed to a winemaking style which embraces the Old Guard of Bordeaux more than the fruit expressive "Moderns" that adorn store shelves all throughout Napa. Selected (2nd in nose and 4th on palette) 4th overall.

Quintessa - 2005 - $135 - (Modern, Stand Alone, Ager, Showpiece) - I surely expected this wine to be sweet and hot after one whiff of its nose: cassis, plum, and very ripe almost jammy fig and pluot aromas laid heavily over light cedar and warm chocolate. Belied by a palette which was fully dry as well as being loaded with red currant, cassis, light mint and obvious french oak notes. The finish was a bit firm, chalky and warm(not hot). Selected (5th on nose and 1st on palette) 2nd overall.

July 26, 2008 Wines Tasted

Pine Ridge Winery - Epitome Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 $100 - (Ager, Stand Alone, almost Modern)  For those of you who love black cherry, cassis, rose petals, mocha and coffee grounds in their Napa Cab, praise the Lord because this wine delivers on all fronts.  A full bodied, moderately Tannic wine comprised of 99% Cab(half a percent each of Petite Verdot and Malbec), from mature hillside vines of Clone 7, it will age gracefully for 10 to 15 additional years.  A terrific effort from Stacy Clark who has been at the helm for 25 years now. (380 Cases)

I had it with chilled, mesquite-grilled New York strip loin snadwiches; sliced thin over melted Fiscalini Cheddar and Arugula with plenty of Sel Gris.