Weekend wines

	2004 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut	Moderate nose of green apple, lime and almonds. Creamy body with a decent balance of apple and citrus notes and some nice yeasty notes. 90 Pts
	2011 Fred Loimer Grüner Veltliner Lois	Restaurant wine. Muted nose of white peach, slight spice note and white flowers. Light body not much going on some peach and floral notes. 84 pts
	2011 Summerland Chardonnay Bien Nacido Block O Vineyard	restaurant wine. Moderate nose of apple pie, honeysuckle and lemon curd. Medium weight with white peach, creme brulee, apple and a citrus finish. 88 pts
	2008 Match Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Butterdragon Hill	1 hr decant. Moderate nose of red and black fruits, cedar and pipe tobacco. Medium plus body of plums, black currants, leather, and mocha. Medium tannins on a medium plus finish. 89 Pts
	2005 Peter Franus Napa Valley Red	Restaurant wine. Expressive nose of black currant dark cherry, licorice and tobacco. Medium plus body of Cherry, currants, sweet tobacco and espresso. Long silky finish. 92 pts.

Blizzard of 2013 wines

  Notes on the wines we enjoyed during the blizzard of 2013 also know as NEMO.

2009 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Panek Vineyard.

 2 hr decant. Bold expressive nose of blackberry pie, plums, cedar and tobacco notes. Chewy dark fruits on the palate with sweet cedar, bittersweet chocolate and spice. Gripping tannins on a long finish.93 pts.  This wine really changed as it sat in the glass, starting out bright and hi-toned and building in weight and roundness. I have to say I enjoyed both aspects of the wine equally.

 

2005 Quixote Panza Claret.

 1 hr decant. Expressive nose of blackberry, tobacco and pepper. Similar palate, could use a little more depth but all around a decent wine for the price.88pts.

 

 

2009 Green & Red Vineyards Zinfandel Chiles Canyon Vineyards.

 Big ripe brambly fruit and spice nose. Medium body of brambly fruits, clove and black pepper. Medium plus finish silky finish. 90 pts.

2011 Yalumba Viognier Y Series.

 Moderate nose of apricot, white peach, and honeysuckle. Medium body showing light stone fruits, citrus and floral notes. Medium finish.87 pts.

2009 Novy Family Wines Syrah Garys' Vineyard

Opened last night with beef stew.

2009 Novy Family Wines Syrah Garys' Vineyard

 Expressive nose of black pepper, black raspberry, and oak. More savory notes on the palate with some smoked earth and plums. Medium plus smooth finish.

Super Bowl weekend wines

Quick notes on the weekends wines.

2007 Artesa Cabernet Sauvignon Ridgeline
1 Hr decant. Expressive nose of ripe blackberry, cigar box and vanilla bean. Medium plus body of blackberry liqueur, dark cherry, spicy oak and tobacco leaf. Medium plus smooth finish.

2011 Novy Family Wines Four Mile Creek

Moderate nose of sweet stone fruits, honey and white flowers. Light and crisp body of pears, honeysuckle and citrus. Clean finish.

2007 Copain Syrah Harrison Clarke

 1 hr decant. Big nose of blueberry pie, iodine, olive and violets. Palate is lighter than the nose would suggest with black and blue fruits, beef and olive notes. Bright savory finish.

 

 

2008 Kenneth Volk Pinot Noir Santa Maria Cuvée

 Expressive pinot nose of ripe cherries, earth and spice. Palate very similar to the nose with medium weight and smooth finish.

 

 

2009 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon

 1-1/2 hr decant. Expressive nose of plum, kirsch, cedar and dark chocolate. Dense yet elegant with black currants, plums, espresso bean and vanilla. Long smooth finish.

 

 

2006 Cloud View Pritchard Hill

 1 hr decant. Expressive nose of red and black fruits, dark chocolate and some leather. Medium plus bright palate plums, cassis, cocoa and cedar. Medium plus silky finish.

 

 

Meritage dinner @ The Boston Wine Festival

    Friday night my wife and I had the pleasure of attending the Meritage Madness dinner as part of Chef Daniel Bruces' Boston Wine Festival dinner series, info here.  Eight different Bordeaux blends from Napa and Sonoma were served blind two at a time with four specially inspired and created dishes by Chef Daniel Bruce. Each wine inspired and matched a different aspect of the dish we were told. The wines and the food were both outstanding. Below are my notes on the wines.

                       FLIGHT 1

Wine #1.   Expressive nose of bright red and black fruits, toasty oak, cocoa. Medium plus body, cherry, cassis, vanilla and bitter chocolate. Moderate tannins and long finish. 90pts.
black
Wine #2.  Expressive nose of black fruits, more earthy than wine 1 with spice and herbs. Denser palate of black cherry, blackberry, herbs and a long smooth spicy finish. 92pts.

   Served with

Dry Rubbed Seared Yellow Fin Tuna

Fava Beans, Garbanzos, Red Pearl Onions.

FLIGHT 2

Wine #3. Expressive nose black and blue fruits, licorice, and earth. Medium plus body of blackberry, cocoa, leather and red flowers. Noticeable tannins. 90pts.

Wine #4. Moderate nose of black raspberry, cherry, thyme and tobacco. Medium body of black fruits, dusty earth and some licorice. Medium finish. 88pts.

   Served with

Slow cooked Duck and Thyme Tortello

Chestnut Sauce and Meritage Syrup

FLIGHT 3

Wine #5. Big nose of blackberry, currants, vanilla, violets, earth and pipe tobacco. Medium plus, rich wine with blackberry, kirsch, cocoa and tobacco notes. Long silky finish. 94pts.

Wine #6. Remarkably similar nose and palate to wine #5, a slight bit earthier and lighter so the oak is not as noticeable, although the oak in wine #5 is in balance and not dominant. 93pts.

    Served with

Five Spice Rubbed Roast Lamb Sirloin

German Butterball Potatoes and Spigarello Greens

FLIGHT 4

Wine #7. Expressive nose of blackberry, plums, spices and toasted coconut. Plush wine with creme de cassis, black cherry, white pepper, and espresso. Fine tannins and long finish. 94pts.

Wine #8. Moderate nose of black fruits, earth, and some off putting onion notes that slowly dissipated with time but never completely went away. Medium body of black currants, tart cherry, and spice. Medium light astringent finish. Possible sulfer flaw? NR.

   Served with

Parmesan and Cheddar Souffle

Wild Mushrooms and Shaved Speck.

     There was a loose vote taken after all the wines were served and my best guess would be this order

#1 Wine 5   2009 Joseph Phelps Insignia

#2  Wine 6  2009 Quintessa

#3 Wine 7  2008 Miner The Oracle

#4 Wine 2  2007 H.D.V. Belle Cousine

#5 Wine 1  2008 Chimney Rock Elevage

#6 Wine 3  2003 Viader Estate Red

#7 Wine 4  2009 Page Proprietary Blend

#8 Wine 8  2009 Peter Michael Les Pavots

Rankings 2-6 could possibly be in any order, that is how close they were, wines 4 and 8 may not have received any votes.





The high alcohol syrah aging myth

     Last week I came across 2 separate articles regarding the aging of  California syrah , one Here,  Wine Review Online with W. Blake Grey and another from Levi Dalton's I'll drink to that podcast from 1/15 with John Gilman.Both men make the case that California syrah cannot age and imply that the alcohol levels are responsible.
      Mr. Grey states that in 2010 he brought back from his wine locker  a half a dozen 2004 cal. syrahs that he loved on release and now were undrinkable, proving that California syrah can't age and at the end of the article he makes the case that it is all about alcohol level for him. Now without knowing specifically what wines Mr Grey brought back from the 2004 vintage I can't argue that he is wrong regarding those wines, but I can argue that he is way off regarding the aging of California syrah. Having recently had an 06 Pax Griffins Lair that came in at 15.1% alcohol, and noting it was as good now as ever, along with a 2005 Scholium Project Tenbrick petite sirah that comes in at 15.7% and was still drinking great. I believe it still comes down to style preference, Pax Mahle, the wine maker for the 06 Griffins Lair I mentioned has commented on the record that he didn't like the way his wines were aging and changed his style when he started his new project Wind Gap, but for everyone that is complaining about high alcohol syrahs not aging well there are just as many wine drinkers on CellarTracker posting notes on 7 year old 15% Saxum wines that are still loving them. So maybe it is more about changing tastes than the wine actually not aging well.
       Mr. Gilman, on the podcast, states that it is very rare for high alcohol wines to age well and that after 2 or 3 years people are trying the wines and saying I don't like that wine at all. I would expect that maybe those people don't like the style of wine to begin with, Mr. Gilman admits to not enjoying those wines and having an old world palate, and are foolishly expecting the wine to some how change to a more old world wine with time in the cellar. We get it, you don't like big new world wines, I don't see the need to put down a whole style of wine to validate your preferences. I'm guessing that there are still more wines available in Mr. Gilmans "old world" style than he could buy or drink in his lifetime.  I am also on the Rhys allocation list, the winery mentioned by Mr. Gilman as suiting his style, and recently had the 09 Horseshoe syrah and found it very mediocre, it had one dominant flavor of black pepper and little else with an extremely light body and that makes it a very bad qpr imho at $60.00, and I've had conversations with other Rhys drinkers who said my note for the most part was spot on but they loved the wine. Different strokes I guess and that is the important issue. Drink what you like! We don't need you to like these "oversize caricatures" of wines. As it is the mailing lists for Saxum, Carlisle, Alban, SQN are all full with long waits.
           This idea that Robert Parker is the only one who appreciates the big flavorful style of wine and everybody else is just point chasing is laughable and short sighted, I know and drink with more than a few people who enjoy new world wines more than old and have been doing so for years.
        There are wine styles and regions I don't like or understand well. Burgundy too shrill and acidic with no body. Beaujolais uninteresting. Spanish reds always seem musty to me.I don't see the need to rail against the winemakers,criticizing them and  wanting them to make a different style of wine, I just don't buy them. I will continue to occasionally try them to see if my tastes or their styles have changed, but I know there is more  wine being made in a style that I enjoy than I can ever buy, so why would I care what the other producers are doing? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that is all this is. :)
           Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.
~Benjamin Franklin
      

Random notes

   Being that we are now  into the winter mailers and wine clubs, I have been recently checking in on some of my allocated wines to determine if I wish to remain on all the lists.Some of the wines can be quite expensive and it would be nice to pare down some of my wine buying.

2010 Myriad Cellars Syrah Esther Block Las Madres Vineyard

 2 hr decant. Got the Myriad Quivet shipping notice so decided to open this. WOW nose, black and blue fruits, olives, floral notes and herbs. Medium plus palate with blackberry,currant, smoked meats, and herbs. Long silky finish. :) Myriad is a keeper for sure.

 

2007 Tercero Grenache Camp 4 Vineyard

 1 hr decant. Great expressive nose of black cherry,raspberries, baking spice and black pepper. Medium plus body of black raspberry, dried cherries, baking spice and a long finish.This wine was a real pleasure to drink and was a considerable improvement over an already enjoyable wine 2 years ago. This wine was an eye opener for me as far as grenache goes.

 

2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard

 1 hr decant. Moderate nose of red cherry, earth and violets. Medium body of sour cherry, cinnamon, and some citrus notes. Medium finish.

 

 

2009 Rhys Syrah Horseshoe Vineyard

 2 hr decant. Nose is dominated by black pepper with hints of dark fruit. Light palate also showing mostly black pepper and some floral notes. Medium finish, not a lot going on with this wine.

Based on these last 2 wines which each cost about $60 I will be letting my future allocations go by, not worth the money in my opinion.

 

2009 Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille

 1-1/2 hr decant. Expressive nose of ripe black fruits, cocoa and dried herbs. Big and rich but also bright with red and black fruits, bitter chocolate and cedar notes. Long silky finish. Another keeper for sure.

 

 

2011 Massican Annia

 Bright nose of citrus, honeysuckle and apricots. Medium plus acidity, white flowers, lemon, apple and a slightly honeyed finish.

 

 

2010 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

 Expressive nose of cherry, cranberry, floral notes and spice. Really nice body starting out with soft red fruits and finishing with more earth and floral notes. Long smooth finish. Great QPR at $25

 

2010 Liquid Farm Chardonnay Golden Slope

 Wow, this wine has it all. Expressive nose of lemon curd, stone fruits, some tropical fruit and wet stone. Medium body with flavors from citrus, ripe tropical fruits, stone fruits, vanilla and minerality that are seamless and balanced.