Had to be there to believe it!

A special side by side of: 2006 Ornellaia, 2005 Ch. Rauzan Segla and 2005 Pine Ridge Fortis Cabernet.

Pre Release Tasting Notes for Pine Ridge Chardonnay and Oakville Cab -

Pre Release Tasting Notes:

My tasting notes:

 Pine Ridge - 2008 - Dijon Clones -Carneros Chardonnay -

 Starbright, clear, medium+ yellow gold still hinting towards green.

 In the nose: yellow apple, baked pear, fresh cut white peach, crystallized sugar, lime leaf, grapefruit zest, light toast and just proofed bread dough.

 Dry, medium bodied and dense, acid is medium plus, and has a long finish.  The fruits are layered with Gala, Yellow Delicious and ripe Granny Smith apples as well as Bosc Pear, toasted hazelnut, crusty bread,   and creamy lees anchor the mid-palette and finish.  A touch of heat at 14.1%, adds spice to the finish. 

Pine Ridge - 20006 - Oakville - Cabernet Sauvignon -

 Clear, bright, and of high concentration of color – deep black/garnet with a garnet/red rim.

 In the nose: black cherry, red cherry, red plum, cassis and red currant; backed with light caramel, black olive and Oak notes of bleached cedar and pine.

 Very dry, and minerally with a slight iodine note reflective of Iron rich soils.  The fruit is ripe, flesh driven and nearly all black: plum, currant& cherry, with a bit of black peppercorn and tar.

 Acid is moderate+, (13.9%, with a slight tingle on the tip of the tongue) as is the tannin and length of finish.  A balanced wine which (typical of 2006) is gorgeous aromatically.  Drink from early 2010 to 2018.

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

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