Author Archive
W.E.T.C.O.W. Wine Tasting Event #12- Syrah vs. Shiraz vs. Petite Syrah
W.E.T.C.O.W. Wine Tasting Event #11 – Galo Personal Selections
These wines were all savored by the Galos on their CA vacation and present to us for our sampling.
The Wines:
Au Bon Climat Chardonnay 2009 – $23.00
Tasting Notes:
The ’09 Santa Barbara, released on the heels of the lauded 2008, is every bit as fresh, balanced, and delicious. The fruit comes from primarily Santa Maria Valley (Bien Nacido, Rancho Vinedo) and Los Alamos Vineyard. It is whole cluster pressed and fermented in neutral Francois Freres French oak barrels and was matured sur lie in the same barrels for 9-10 months. It was bottled without filtration. This natural, non-technological, stylish and traditional winemaking consistently produces elegant, textural, complex and food-enhancing Chardonnays. The ’09 reminds me of the ’85,’89,’92 and ’99, and ’02 wines. It has aromas of citrus, stone fruit, and custard apple. The flavors are smooth and integrated, creamy and tense, with apricot, golden delicious apple and lemon verbena nuances. This wine is the 28th in a series of ABC Santa Barbara County Chardonnays and embodies the same regional style that we have refined over the years.
Point Break – North Coast Red Blend 2008- $24.00
Tasting Notes:
A Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and a bit of Zinfandel Blend designed for layered complexity. This wine focuses the influences of a few red varieties (Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Zinfandel) and seamlessly integrates them into an expression of aromas and flavors that reflect the climate of Northern California.
Grgich Hills Cellar Zinfandel 2007 – $39.00
Tasting notes:
We grow our Zinfandel naturally, without artificial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, at our estate vineyard in Calistoga, nestled in the northern tip of Napa Valley. This food-friendly Zinfandel’s flavors of strawberries, licorice and a hint of white pepper make it the perfect match for grilled meats, Lasagna, pizza topped with tomato sauce and beef stews.
The Terraces Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 – $39.00
Tasting Notes:
he Terraces is a family-owned, small producer of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel in the eastern foothills of Rutherford. We also make a limited quantity on Chardonnay and Petite Sirah. Our ranch is known as Quarry Vineyards in deference to the 125 year old rock quarry on the property. Although we grow grapes for several other Napa Valley wineries, we reserve seven acres of our oldest and best vines to produce The Terraces wines. The Terraces Zinfandel clone taces its roots to the vines planted on the ranch in the 1800s. This clone, the “Werle” clone produces an open cluster with small berries, which is recognized and coveted for its intense color and distinctive aromas and flavors. The Cabernet clones were selected from Caymus and Grace Family Vineyards. We firmly believe that the character of our wines, their intensity and their color are the results of our viticultural practices which produce very low yields per acre and are picked at optimal maturity. We produce 1500 cases annually.
The Scores:
| Taster |
Au Bon Climat Chardonnay – Santa Barbara, CA 2009 $23.00 |
Longboard Vinyards Point Break North Coast 2008 $24.00 |
Grgich Hills Cellar Zinfandel – Napa Valley 2007 $39.00
|
The Terraces Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley 2007 $39.00 |
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| Al B. |
85 |
82 |
86 |
87 |
| Sue B. |
92 |
87 |
82 |
87 |
| Eric D. |
83 |
84 |
89 |
89 |
| Felix G. |
93 |
87 |
94 |
95 |
| Lisa G. |
89 |
84 |
93 |
97 |
| John M. |
84 |
75 |
88 |
89 |
| Marlene M. |
88 |
77 |
86 |
82 |
| John O. |
89 |
85 |
92 |
94 |
| Angie O. |
90 |
87 |
95 |
88 |
| Average Score: |
88.1 |
83.1 |
89.4 |
89.8 |
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SCORING RESULTS (All) Galo Cali Vacation – Oct. 2011
W.E.T.C.O.W. Wine Tasting Event #10 – Pinot Noir Around the World
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(9/6/11)
The Wines:
Domaine Reverdy-Ducroux, Sancerre Rouge, 2008
Though known for crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre is allowed to produce red wine from the Pinot Noir grape. The wines have lovely, bright cherry and berry fruit characters and a light mid palate. This example from a fine estate is drinking well now and will provide enjoyment through 2015.
Brancotte Estates – Marlborough Pinot Noir 2009
Ruby red in colour, this wine presents red cherries and plum aromas overlaid with liquorice and dried herb notes with savoury, oak highlights. The wine is fleshy and spicy showing good palate weight, well-integrated tannins and a lingering aftertaste.
Mezzacorona – Vignette Delle Domiti 2009
This Pinot Noir is cultivated in the Trentino region, in the hilly areas at the foot of the Italian Dolomites. Traditional red wine vinification at controlled temperatures of around 25°C; briefly refined in wood, which enriches its perfume and gives balance, garnet red in color, pleasant bouquet, delicate, complex, dry in flavor, palatable slightly bitter aftertaste.
Block Nine-Caiden’s 2009
Block Nine Pinot Noir was made in response to the wine world’s current state when it comes to American Pinot Noir: the market is currently flooded with mass-produced, watery, thin and simple, poor examples of Pinot Noir. Block Nine’s focus is to make the highest quality wine possible from small lots throughout California. Their dedication to quality is completely evident in the release of the 2009 Caiden’s Vineyards Pinot Noir.
The Scores:
| Taster |
Sancerre-Reverdy DuCroux Rouge Beauregard 2008 $23.99 France |
Brancotte Estates $9.99.00 New Zealand |
Mezzacorona- $6.99 Italy |
Block Nine-Caiden’s 2009 $13.99 California |
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| Al B. |
80 |
86 |
89 |
89 |
| Sue B. |
85 |
83 |
91 |
90 |
| Eric D. |
86 |
76 |
85 |
89 |
| Zelma D. |
90 |
78 |
89 |
90 |
| Felix G. |
79 |
76 |
79 |
87 |
| Lisa G. |
78 |
80 |
85 |
86 |
| John M. |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
| Marlene M. |
75 |
81 |
83 |
84 |
| John O. |
93 |
90 |
92 |
92 |
| Angie O. |
80 |
91 |
92 |
89 |
| Average Score: |
82.8 |
82.3 |
87.2 |
88.4 |
W.E.T.C.O.W. Wine Tasting Event #9 – South African Pinotage
SCORING RESULTS – South Africa – Pinotage – April 2011
Pinotage is a red wine grape that is almost exclusive to South Africa, although many South Africans shun the variety because of its polarizing, ‘un-European’ flavor profile and the care it requires both in the vineyard and the winery.
Created in Stellenbosch in 1925, Pinotage is a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. The ‘Pinot’ half of the name was given priority because of the prestige associated with Burgundy’s great red grape. The ‘age’ part was taken from the end of Hermitage, one of several local names for Cinsaut; its position at the back end of the crossing’s name reflects Cinsaut’s lowly status compared to Pinot Noir.
Like Cinsaut and various other red wine varieties common in southern France (Grenache andMourvedre among them), Pinotage shows its most impressive flavours when grown as a bush vine. It is also thought that the way a vine is trained has a significant impact on the flavor and structure of wines made from its grapes.
As a rule of thumb, the looser, wilder and freer a vine grows, the fruitier and fuller its wines. Closely pruned, strictly trellised vines produce wines that have deeper, more austere flavors and strongeracid structure.
Pinotage wines are famously unreliable, which is something they have in common with Pinot Noir (red Burgundy at least). During the 1970s and 1980s, when the variety was at its least fashionable and the prospect of tending low-yielding, disease-prone vines particularly unappealing, many thousands of ancient Pinotage bush vines were uprooted. South Africa lost over half of its Pinotage vines as a result, including those capable of producing the finest wines.
A bad Pinotage wine can be an over-tannic, over-acidic affair. If it is coaxed into greatness, during the growing season and during winemaking, Pinotage can be very memorable. It seems to have inherited the promise and petulance of Pinot and all the aggressive, tangy power of Cinsaut.
Outside South Africa Pinotage has had little success, but has retained the air of intrigue nonetheless. It has found a home in New Zealand, where it is grown in several North Island wine regions, including Hawkes Bay and the Auckland area. It is also grown in parts of California and in Israel.
The Wines:
Fleur du Cap –Bergkelder Selection
Country- South Africa
Vintage -2008- Pinotage- Alchol 13.5%
Price- $9.99
Matured in small oak casks. Aroma of cloves and vanilla. Packed with black and red berry flavors with a long distinctive finish. Climate, soil, altitude and slope orientation are selected to capture as much varietal character as possible. The grapes are grown in the famous Stellenbosch vineyards and made at The Bergkelder, a cellar built into the heart of the mountains. Fleur du Cap believes in minimal human intervention, leaving the wine to develop mainly on its own.
Warwick
Country- Stellenbosch- South Africa
Vintage-2007-Pinotage Old Bush Vines 14.5%
Price- $16.99
Warwick Cellar lies on the premium red slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in Stellenbosch. Warwick was established in 1770 and the winemaking tradition revived in 1964 by the Ratcliffe family. Pinotage is a uniquely South African variety and is Particularly refined and full bodied when grown on untrellised “bush vines”. This wine displays an alluring array of mouth-filling dark berry flavors, a lush seductive texture and an exceptionally long finish. These grapes were hand picked and hand sorted.
Pinno- Graham Beck
Country- South Africa
Vintage – 2009- Alcohol 14%
Price – $10.99
Western Cape South Africa- This is a classic example of Pinotoge showing ripe plum and berry nuances with a hint of tropical banana on the nose. The medium- bodied palate is soft and juicy filled with dark fruit flavors that end in a clean finish. (fresh, Plum, berries, Banana, Medium Bodied)
A cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Its wine has a distinctive, gamy, tarry, briary fruit flavors and substantial tanic backbone.
Spier Anno 1692
Country- South Africa
Vintage -2010- Alcohol 14%- Pinotage
Price – $9.99
Mouth watering juicy plum and sweet fruit aromas are complemented by hints of tobacco. On the palate, mouth filling cherry and tobacco flavors are soft and accessible, with a lingering finish. Aged 10 months in oak. A unique hybrid grape from Pinot noir and Cinsault.( fresh, Cherry, Plum , Tobacco, Medium – bodied)
A signature wine by Spier Stellenbosch.
The Scores:
| Taster |
Pino- Graham Beck Pinotage – S Africa 2009-$10.99 |
Fleur du cap-Bergkelder select 2008-$9.99 |
Warwick Stellenbosch-Old Bush Vines 2007-$16.99 |
Spier Anno 1692 South Africa 2010-$9.99 |
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| Al B. |
73 |
81 |
84 |
83 |
| Sue B. |
69 |
83 |
83 |
86 |
| Eric D. |
87 |
84 |
89 |
89 |
| Zelma D. |
78 |
89 |
91 |
91 |
| Felix G. |
77 |
80 |
86 |
83 |
| Lisa G. |
62 |
81 |
86 |
84 |
| John M. |
78 |
77 |
79 |
76 |
| Marlene M. |
68 |
72 |
79 |
83 |
| John O. |
88 |
91 |
94 |
84 |
| Average Score: |
75.5 |
82 |
85.6 |
84.30 |