So I was pleased to be included in the blogger sampling program for a new single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Rodney Strong Vineyards: Rockaway. In a move I expect to see more of in coming months, Rodney Strong has pre-released samples to a few wine bloggers before submitting them to more traditional critics such as Jim Laube and Robert Parker. This gives you, dear reader, the short-lived opportunity to acquire this wine before 90+ scores are published elsewhere and demand exceeds supply. I’ll be posting a bit more on this from a marketing perspective over on my company blog, as well.

This wine is made from 3 blocks of the Rockaway Vineyard in Alexander Valley which is located between Napa and Dry Creek Valleys. These small areas of the vineyard are where the viticulture and winemaking teams have found the best fruit that expresses the terroir there. The vineyard soil is primarily sandstone on a clay subsoil at an elevation that rises to 700 feet above sea level. Rodney Strong Vineyards acquired the Rockaway vineyard in 2003 which covers a little over 100 total acres of mostly Bordeaux varieties but this wine is made exclusively from the best fruit the vineyard provides.

To maximize the expression of the Rockaway Vineyard a team of winemakers was brought on including Rick Sayre, Gary Patzwald and consultant David Ramey. Readers may recognize Mr. Ramey’s work from wines he’s made at Chalk Hill, Matanzas Creek, Dominus Estate, Rudd Estate and his own eponymous winery. The viticulture team on this project includes Doug McIlroy and consultant Bob Steinhauer who’s worked at Beringer for three decades.  So it’s clear from the vineyard selection to the viticulture and winemaking teams to the 2 years in new French oak that Rockaway is intended to compete with the best Cabernets in the world.

Like other wineries, the folks at Rodney Strong have decided to allocate Rockaway on a mailing list. This is becoming more common after cult Cabs such as Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate pioneered this direct marketing technique a few years ago. The heavy glass and beautiful graphics on the bottle also signal a cult-style effort but the true test would be tasting the wine contained therein. To be honest, other cult Cabernet blends I’ve tried have not lived up to their reputation or price level so when I opened this wine I cast a somewhat skeptical eye, nose and palate on the subject.

Tasting Notes:

Rodney Strong Vineyards, “Rockaway” Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 2005 ($75/sample) - A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, and 4% Petit Verdot, this wine is very dark purple-black in color right now. The wine’s aromas unfold with a complex mixture of dark cherry, black-currant, green olive, sage, cocoa, fennel and vanilla. Tightly wound and concentrated blackberry and dark currant flavors with mint and black pepper finishing long with moderately firm but well integrated tannins.

A fine, well balanced California Cabernet blend with 5-10 years of additional cellaring recommended before it begins it’s drinking window. This will be a brand to watch for the next few years as it delivers quite good value when compared to other wines at it’s expected release price. I recommend you sign up for the mailing list soon before this wine is unavailable.

15.4% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 93
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Related Links:

A Master Sommelier Candidate Takes on the Allocated Rockaway Release

Finding a Wine You Love? Priceless.

Rockaway—A New Allocated Brand from Rodney Strong

History in the (Wine) Making: The Inaugural Vintage of Rockaway Vineyard

Rockaway Baby in the Vineyard

Rockaway Cab, Rodney Strong, and Allocations

2005 Rockaway Cabernet

2005 Rockaway Vineyard Cabernet, Sonoma ($80 est.)

Disclosure (posted 8/27/08): Due to posts and comments from other wine bloggers, I would like to state that I received this wine as a sample from the winery. At no time did I communicate directly with anyone at Rodney Strong Vineyards or feel any pressure to write a positive review. Jeff Lefevere of Good Grape arranged for the samples to be sent to us and asked us to post our reviews last week. I complied with this request as a personal favor to Jeff.

Steve’s day job is as a vineyard consultant so he tends his own vines in his spare time on Sunday’s (another “S”). Matthiasson works with clients using both organic and biodynamic methods so I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Rudolf Steiner (yet another “S”), the father of biodynamic farming. Matthiasson’s total production is only a few hundred cases and his entire family is involved in the operation. This hands-on, natural approach and attention to detail really shows in the glass with this stunning white blend (my last “S”).

Tasting Notes:

Matthiasson, White Wine, Napa Valley 2006 ($35/sample) - Straw in color with very aromatic pineapple, lychee, fig, almond and spice on the nose. Fresh green apple, citrus and mineral flavors finishing quite long with bracing acidity. A delicious and unique wine that pairs well with food but makes a statement on it’s own.

13.6% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 92
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

So I have seven “S” connections in this post and will now send a shout-out to Erin and Michelle for their great theme. Stay tuned for more Wine Blogging Wednesday news and links to the round-up when it’s posted.

Photo by the Corkdork

Made from 100% Merlot, this wine is a nice choice to have near the BBQ as it has more body than most roses. I’d also like to see more Napa winemakers turn excess Merlot into something this good which should be pretty easy given the supply of really good fruit in the current market. This wine is first offered to St. Supery’s wine club members but you can also buy it in their website.

Tasting Notes:

St. Supery, Rose 2006 ($18/sample) - Substantial color for a rose, almost ruby. Strawberry and watermelon aromas with those fruits carrying forward on the palate along with some cherry candy. Dry and crisp with good acidity and mouth weight. Enjoy now.

13.5% ABV
Score: 87
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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But it probably wasn’t just this early exposure to the grape that compelled me to drink more Riesling; it was the complexity and potential for aging of the wines that make this my favorite white variety.

Like my second favorite white Roussanne, Riesling shows well in youth but takes on more complexity with age. I’ve tasted dry Rieslings almost 30 years old that still have youthful bouquet and flavors despite their tawny color. The wines seem to go through some sort of metamorphosis of fruit and floral to fruit, mineral and gasoline, noted by most wine lovers as “petrol.” In the best Rieslings, the wine is supported by a backbone of acidity that can make even a 9% alcohol wine hold up for decades.

Riesling travels but not as well as other noble whites such as Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. While those varieties can grow and produce good wines almost anywhere, Riesling is fickle and only shows it’s magic in specific microclimates.

That’s why I chose the Old World of Northern Europe as the place for this Wine Blogging Wednesday devoted to Riesling. It just seems that Rieslings of every price point are so much better there. I know that the variety can be great in Australia, Washington State, and parts of California, but to truly enjoy the essence of the grape you have to go to Europe.

My two selections tonight are from the Mosel region of Germany. I thought it would be interesting to compare what age does to the variety so each wine is similar in style but 5 years different in age.

Tasting Notes:

Max Ferdinand Richter, Riesling, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 2006 ($14) - Pale straw-green in color with aromas of green apple, wet stone and lime. In the mouth, green apple and citrus flavors give way to a nice mineral note and good acidity. Although dry, the finish gives the impression of slight sweetness due to the vibrant fruit. A nicely done young Mosel Riesling that should improve with some bottle age.

10% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 89
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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Weingut Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch, Bernkasteler Badstube, Riesling, Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 2001 ($25) - Light straw color with a bouquet of baked apples, stone and petrol. Bright and fresh with green apple and mineral flavors finishing with bracing acidity. A solid aged Riesling with years ahead of it. Good thing I still have some more bottles in the cellar to taste down the road.

9% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 89
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

So a draw in the scoring but two really nice Rieslings that demonstrate why I love this variety so much. As I post this, nearly 50 other bloggers have responded to my call and have posted some great wines. Once all the entries have been blogged I will write a summary that will hopefully document all the many faces of Riesling. Stay tuned.

A blend of 40% Ribolla Gialla, 25% Pinot Grigio, 22% Tocai Friulano, 10% Sauvignon Blanc and 3% Chardonnay grown in Napa Valley, Vare Bianco Riserva 2005 is unique in several ways. First, this is the only winery with plantings of Ribolla Gialla in the US, a variety from Italy’s Friuli Venezia Giulia region where it’s blended with Tocai Friulano. The wine spends an extra few months in once used French Oak barrels than it’s sibling Bianco which produces a more complex wine both aromatically and in it’s flavor profile. An finally, this is one of the few wines packaged in 500 ml bottles as requested by Thomas Keller’s French Laundry restaurant. This results in one of the best Cal-Ital white blends I’ve tasted to date.

Vare Vineyards, Bianco Riserva 2005 ($45/500ml/sample) - The straw color is a result of barrel fermentation and aging but the aromas are not overpowered by the influence of wood. This wine has a very pleasing bouquet of citrus, tropical fruit, walnut and a hint of clove. Complex but refreshing grapefruit and pineapple fruit flavors finishing with nice acidity and a creamy, lees element. An excellent food wine and would make a great starter to an Italian meal but with only 20 cases produced, you better act now.

14.5% ABV
Synthetic cork closure
Score: 90
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Buy this wine at Wine Spies for $35 today only!

And don’t forget to enter discount code “WINECASTLUVSME” when you check out for free ground shipping on orders of 4 bottles or more.

Thanks to Agent Red for recruiting me and Agent White for selecting such a nice wine to taste. Look for other wine bloggers to be Wine Spies for a Day in coming days.

All Pax Syrah have a similar thread running through them: they are big. Some are fruit bombs, others super concentrated and structured for aging and some are masterpieces of balance even at 15-16% alcohol. When I asked Pax about his process, he pointed to the traditional techniques of France’s Burgundy region where whole-cluster fermentation and the minimum of cellar treatment was the norm at the finest vineyards for centuries. Somehow, Pax has taken these Old World techniques and combined them with aggressive crop management in the vineyard to produce stunning wines.

The Syrah from Griffin’s Lair in the Sonoma Coast AVA is one of the most massive wines in the lineup with very concentrated fruit along with firm tannins. Although this wine is quite enjoyable right now, I would suggest at least another 5 years of cellaring before you will fully comprehend all the nuances this wine brings to the table.

I enjoyed this Syrah last night paired with traditional Steak Frit at a restaurant in San Francisco. I shared this bottle with Alan Baker who longtime listeners of the podcast will remember from Winecast 51 where we tasted Pax Cellars Walker Vine Hill Syrah. Over the 90 minutes we enjoyed this wine it evolved quite a bit but I would imagine even more aromas would have been present on day two. If you open a bottle now, decanting is highly recommended.

Pax Cellars, Syrah, Griffin’s Lair, Sonoma Coast 2004 ($70) - Very dark purple-black in color with massive aromas of blackberry, meats, fennel, green olive, chaparral, leather and baking spices. Huge, mouth-filling blackberry fruit flavors with cracked black pepper finishing with firm, but fine-grained, tannins. The finish lingers for nearly a minute making this one of the most stunning wines I’ve tasted from Pax Cellars to date. This wine will continue to improve for at least another decade in the cellar.

14.8% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 96
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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I’ve written about Gary Vaynerchuk here recently and I think his hosting this month will bring a lot more people into the WBW fold. And I think his theme of French Cabernet Franc is a great choice since it’s one that a lot of us wine geeks overlook in favor of more obscure varieties. Most people know of Cab Franc as one of the 6 grapes allowed in Bordeaux red blends but in the Loire, this grape comes into it’s own.

Normally I would head over to Solo Vino in St. Paul and ask Chuck for a recommendation but I found an easier solution this time. Via Twitter, Jill from Domaine547.com picked up the suggestion of a WBW pack of three selections for this month, next month and June. So I clicked a few buttons and purchased 25% of my WBW needs for this year.

The wine in the pack for this month is from Chateau de Hureau in the Saumur-Champigny appellation of the Loire Valley. It is 100% Cabernet Franc and made by Philippe Vatan who tends to 42 acres of vineyard plots scattered around various appellations in the Loire. The common denominator is they all are planted to Cab Franc. If this wine is any indication, I’ll be searching out more from this producer.

Tasting Note:

Chateau de Hureau, Cabernet Franc, Saumur-Champigny 2005 ($17) - Dark purple-ruby in color with aromas of black raspberry, blackberry, menthol and spices. Black currant and dark cherry fruit with white pepper and bell pepper flavors finishing with moderate, but well integrated, tannins. Very full in flavor and palate weight but also has nice green aromas and flavors. I think I’d lay this one down and see what develops in a year or two.

13.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 89
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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Thanks to Gary from Wine Library TV for hosting this month and bringing the THUNDER with his post today. I’m looking forward to seeing the round-up of interesting Cabernet Franc to try after my experience here. I also think that Gary’s main point is to get out and try new wines; great advice for any wine lover no matter how geeky they may be…

Next month I’m hosting for the third time and keeping us in the Old World… yes, my favorite white variety is queued up so next time will be special. Hope you join us.

It must have been late 1981 or early 1982 when I stumbled across a small winery named Lytton Springs in my search for the best Zinfandel. This variety had already become my favorite most likely due to the forward fruit in most bottlings that was noticeably different from the Bordeaux and Napa Cabs I was mostly drinking at the time. Since I didn’t yet read any wine publications, I must have chosen Lytton Springs Zinfandel from the recommendation of a wine merchant or, more likely, just at random. From my first experience with the aromas of dark fruit offset by spices and cedar, I was hooked. The layers of flavor and impeccable balance also didn’t hurt either and this became my “benchmark” Zinfandel that all others were judged against.

The Lytton Springs Winery was founded in 1970 after Richard Sherwin purchased the old vine vineyard near downtown Healdsburg, California. The vineyard had been planted around the turn of the 20th Century on lands owned by a Captain Litton who many years before built a hotel catering to Bay Area visitors to the local hot springs. By the time of the vineyard planting, the spelling of his family name had evolved to Lytton.

The vineyard is a classic “field blend” of inter-planted varieties with about 70% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah and the remainder split between Grenache and Carignane. As early as 1972, Ridge Vineyards winemaker Paul Draper made wines from this vineyard but it wasn’t until Ridge purchased Lytton Springs Winery in 1991 that the entire 35-acre property was devoted to Ridge wines. There is a great interview with Richard Sherwin over at Gang of Pour if you are interested in more background on Lytton Springs Winery.

I can’t recall when I made the switch to Ridge Lytton Springs but it was most likely in the early 1990’s. The grace and even elegance of this wine made it stand out to me over another favorite Sonoma vineyard, the famous Ridge Geyserville most recently tasted on my birthday last year. So I was looking forward to getting back to Lytton Springs 2004, a wine I last tasted about 14 months ago but failed to blog here for some unknown reason.

Ridge Vineyards, Zinfandel, Lytton Springs, Dry Creek Valley 2004 ($34) - This wine still displays a youthful purple-ruby color. The aroma profile is classic Lytton Springs: black raspberries & blackberry with fennel and cedar. The flavors are also a mixture of dark fruits with the addition of some blueberry, black pepper and minerality that finishes long with great balance and moderate tannins. Although this wine weighs in at 14.5% ABV, there is no hint of heat on the palate or in the aromas. This is clearly still one of the best Zinfandel’s produced today and is in wide distribution due to production of over 10,000 cases each vintage.

14.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 92
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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When I taste this wine today, it takes me back to my earliest memories of noteable wines. In fact, Lytton Springs Winery Zinfandel was the best wine I had ever tasted until it was upstaged by a glass of 1974 Heitz Cellars “Martha’s Vineyard” Cab that I had in 1986. But I still have a warm place in my heart for Lytton Springs Zin that will never be changed.

Kudos go to Joel from Wine Life Today for a great theme and congratulations on the birth of his second child just a few days ago. I’m hoping he can find some time to recount all the stories this month in between his fatherly duties.

Next month some guy from New Jersey named Gary is hosting. Should be fun to see what he’s got in mind.

So I ventured to my favorite wine store, Solo Vino, to challenge the staff with an Italian wine from a region I was not familiar with to feature. After a few bottles were suggested, I settled on Tenuta Delle Terre Nere, Rosso 2006 ($17). It’s made from old-vine Nerello grown on the slopes of Mt. Etna in Sicily.

As soon as the first taste was swirled and sniffed, I knew I was in trouble as the pronounced aromas were difficult to describe in 14 words. How could I describe what was going on with this wine in just seven words? I jotted down my normal review of 25 words or so, then attempted to cut the prose down to a skeletal seven. Nothing seemed to make sense so I settled on the following:

Cherries, earth, raspberries on a dusty highway

14% ABV
Natural cork closure
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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This got me wondering if a more straightforward wine would be easier to encapsulate in the meager amount of words allotted. So I picked up the widely available A Mano, Primitivo 2005 ($10) from Puglia. Longtime listeners of my podcast will remember this wine from a couple of years back and I reconsidered another bottle sometime later. But I had not picked up this wine for quite a while so I thought it would be easy to review in just a few words. A twist of the screw-cap closure and taste later, I jotted down the following:

Raspberries, cranberries, tar and spices on horseback

13.5% ABV
Stelvin closure
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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Although the A Mano was more fruit driven than the Tenuta Delle Terre Nere, there was still quite a bit going on here. I liked each wine roughly about the same with a slight nod to the Tenuta Delle Terre Nere, Rosso (89 vs. 88 on the 100-point scale). But this experience got me thinking more about wine reviews in general and how I approach them in particular. In the back of my mind, I kept hearing Ryan’s call for wine writing on the internet to be different than the established print model. And for the first time, I confronted a vastly different review structure to work with.

No, I’m not going to review wines here with seven words but I expect my reviews to be less about the actual aromas and flavors of the wine but how they evoke something related to the world around me. Some context about how I came to try the wine in question and how it connects with my life at the time of the tasting. So, ironically, this will lead to more descriptive and less clinical reviews here.

Cheers to Andrew for such a thought provoking and, yes, fun theme. I’m looking forward to getting back into my comfort zone next month with a seasonal theme (at least here in the snowy Twin Cities) from Joel at Vivi’s Wine Journal.

Hosts Jack and Joanne of Fork & Bottle have chosen white wines made in Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region as this month’s theme. This region is in the northeastern corner of the country that touches Slovenia. As I found out when I started looking for wines from this area, some Friuli actually comes from Slovenia. Although most well known for their signature Tocai Friulano grape, most wines available from this region here are made from Pinot Grigio. A number of other native Italian white varietals are also produced along with German grapes such as Riesling and Müller-Thurgau.

After finding few choices, I selected the only Tocai Friulano I could find in town, from Movia, their “Gredic” Tokaj Friulano (Slovenian for Tocai Friulano). The winery is located right on the border of Italy with a portion of their vineyard on the Italian side. Since the the winery is in Slovenia, they are not technically in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, but I’m sure Jack and Joanne will not mind. Purchased by the Kristancic family in 1820, this was the only wine estate not nationalized during the country’s communist period. Today, Ales Kristancic carries on his family tradition of producing compelling, biodynamic wine.

Movia “Gredic” Tokaj Friulano (Tocai Friulano) 2004 ($28) - Golden-yellow in color with aromas of ripe pineapple, baked apple, honeysuckle and almond. Rich and thick mouthfeel, with pear, pineapple and mango fruit flavors finishing with tart acidity, a creamy texture and nice minerality. A very unique and full-bodied white that will not appeal to everyone but I think it’s delicious. An outstanding value.

12.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 90
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thanks once again to Jack and Joanne for a unique theme this time and I’m looking forward to next month when I’ll attempt to review an Italian wine in seven words as suggested by Andrew from Spittoon.

Aside from Ridge and Sebastiani another name stood out for Zin in my formative wine years: Foppiano. A family winery for more than 100 years, this Sonoma winery produces some of the best Petite Sirah and Cabernet in Sonoma. I’ve also enjoyed their Zinfandel over the years but have not had the opportunity to taste a recent vintage until they sent me some samples recently. And I’m glad they did as this is one of the better Zins under $20 now in wide release.

Foppiano Vineyards, Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2004 ($15/sample) - Medium purple in color with aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, fennel and vanilla. Nice dark cherry and blackberry fruit flavors with cracked black pepper and moderate tannins. Textbook, old-school Sonoma Zin.

14.5% ABV

Natural cork closure

Score: 87

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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I think I’ve always loved Petite Sirah because of it’s connection with Zinfandel. In the century old vines of Sonoma, Petite Sirah is often found inter-planted with Zin to make the field blends I love, such as Ridge Lytton Springs. It’s tannins backbone and soft fruit help to bolster Zinfandel and transform the result into something more complex. Another reason I like this variety so much is the best examples are pure fruit bombs.

So I was really looking forward to tasting a few examples of this variety this month. As luck would have it, I received some samples from Foppiano Vineyards, a name like Concannon closely linked with Petite Sirah. My other selection was from a producer I’ve never heard of before but will seek out from my tasting this evening.

Tasting Notes:

Foppiano Vineyards, Petite Sirah, Russian River Valley 2004 ($23/sample) - Dark black-purple in color with aromas of blueberry, plum and licorice. Soft black currant and blackberry flavors with pepper and spices finishing with firm tannins. Textbook Petite Sirah but could use some time in the bottle to soften those tannins.

14.6% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 88
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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Peltier Station Winery, Petite Sirah, Lodi 2005 ($18) - Dark purple-black in color with aromas of boysenberry, black raspberry, bacon and fennel. Rich and massive blackberry and blueberry fruit with cracked black pepper, medium tannins and a bit of minerality & sweet caramel on the finish. A blockbuster Pet that I’ll be cellaring to see what happens.

14.8% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 90
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Thanks again to Sonadora for an excellent theme this month. Join us next time when we’ll be exploring an underrated region of Italy.

Before I present my favorite wine tasted this year, a bit of a story about my relationship with Beaujolais Nouveau. Back when I lived in Orange County, California there was a restaurant called Bouzy Rouge in Newport Beach. This was before the area was branded “The OC” in television and lifestyles of housewives so a bit of eccentricity was still allowed. The owner’s dilapidated Citroen was parked in front of the restaurant and they had some fun events, like the Beaujolais Nouveau release each year. My wife and I went every year we lived there and the young wine was served directly from the barrel into carafe or glass. It was almost like you were in Beaujolais. So this is what I remember each year when the time comes to try the new vintage.

This year I went to a couple of the better local stores and sampled 7 or 8 wines from different producers. Most were fine; fruity and exuberant but seemed a bit one dimensional which is par for the course here. Only one wine was very disappointing, served from promotional barrel (a very small one) that took me back to Bouzy Rouge. Ironically it was from the same producer I enjoyed so many years ago, Georges Duboeuf (could have been an off-barrel, I suppose). But of all the wines I sampled, only one stood out as something I’d like to take home. And I did just that and offer this review from the bottle opened this evening.

Pascal Chatelus, Beaujolais Nouveau 2007 ($12) - Bright ruby in color with aromas of wild cherry candy and banana. Juicy and tart in the mouth with candied cherry and strawberry fruit with some banana from the mid-palate to the finish. Just what I’m looking for in a Beaujolais Nouveau. Drink before 2008, preferably with food and good friends.

12.5% ABV
Composite cork closure
Score: 84
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot from noted winemaker Chris Ringland. I’ll have to check out his other efforts given what magic he casts on this modest wine.

Henry’s Drive, “Pillar Box Red” 2005 ($10) - Deepest purple-black in color. This one needs to unwind a bit before it shows it’s best but once fully open it features nice black and red fruit aromas with fennel and a bit of chaparral. Full and rich black cherry and strawberry fruit gives way to a bit of licorice, vanilla and spice on the finish. A delicious fruit bomb for everyday drinking.

15% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 90
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Beckmen Vineyards, “Le Bec Blanc” 2005 ($20) - A blend of 57% Roussanne, 30% Marsanne and 13% Grenache Blanc. Golden straw in color with aromas of white peach, almonds and orange blossom. Rich and oily in the mouth with citrus and pineapple flavors finishing with some minerality, nuts and spice.

13.9% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 88

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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Winemaker Melissa Bates has created a rich and balanced wine ready for enjoyment now and, unlike many California red wines these days, not overpowering to food. Another interesting differentiator is the great design of the bottle graphics making this an impressive choice on the table. I hope to see more wines targeted at restaurants that are a cut above most choices in this price range.

Silver Palm, Cabernet Sauvignon, North Coast 2005 ($30/sample) - Very dark purple in color with aromas of black currant, fennel and cedar. Spicy black cherry and currant flavors with fresh bell pepper, cracked black pepper and some vanilla on the finish. Seems more like a Chilean Merlot or Carmenère than a Cali Cab but still very nicely done.

13.9% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 87
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

1 - Crane Lake, Petite Sirah 2003 - A varietal I love at a ridiculous price of $4.99 a bottle. I picked up the 2004 a while back and found it undrinkable (it also smelled especially bad so it was most likely an off bottle). I’ll pick up a fresh bottle to see if this pick is still good.

2 - Mark West, Pinot Noir 2004 - Everyone seems to be into Pinot Noir these days so it’s tough to find anything to recommend for less than $20. I really liked this wine and reviewed the next vintage upon release.

3 - Mark West, Pinot Noir 2005 - The effect of the market for bulk Pinot Noir really showed here but still a good wine. I’ll pick up the 2006 and review in the next few weeks.

4 - Napa River, Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 - The “upscale” brand from Charles Shaw producer Bronco Wine Company only available at Trader Joe’s. I found this to be very much worth the $4.99 asking price. Perhaps it’s time to see if they have released the 2004?

5 - Bodegas Borsao, “Tres Picos”, Garnacha 2004 - This is the first wine on the list that I think is a great value outperforming it’s asking price by quite a bit. I first picked this wine blind off a restaurant list and was impressed with the depth of flavor and balance. I’ve enjoyed several more bottles since and will have to see if the 2005 vintage is released for another review.

6 - Two Hands, “Gnarly Dudes” Shiraz 2005 - The first higher-end wine on the list, this one sells for $30 a bottle. Tasted at Vino Venue in San Francisco, I really enjoyed the concentration here. I haven’t seen this available here in Minnesota, so perhaps I’ll have to return to California to try it again. It will probably be quite a while until the 2006 vintage is out but there might be some 2004 still around to check out.

7 - Loring Wine Company, Pinot Noir, “Garys’ Vineyard” 2005 - The most expensive bottle on the list at $48 (if you can find it). Although Loring has taken some heat on recent vintages I really liked this wine. Hope to try some more of his other wines sometime soon.

8 - Bodegas Borsao, “Red Wine”, Campo de Borja 2005 - Another nice wine from Bodegas Borsao of “Tres Picos” fame. A solid everyday red for less than $10. I’ll be reviewing this one each vintage as it’s turned into a personal house wine for mid-week enjoyment.

9 - Jim Neal, Chariot, “Diana” 2002 - Here’s a producer I haven’t tried for too long. With Petite Sirah the theme of the next Wine Blogging Wednesday, I’ll look for a fresh vintage to try here.

10 - Napa River, Merlot 2003 - Another $4.99 special from Trader Joe’s. I didn’t like this one as much as the Cab but I guess it’s worth the price charged.

So I guess most people like the lower priced wines with 40% of the list under $10 and 80% under $20. I’ll be tracking this every few months to help tailor my reviews to the audience. Interesting stuff…

Although I also greatly admire the Ridge Lytton Springs bottling, I always come back to Geyserville for the power and elegance that could only come from old vine Zinfandel, Carignan and Petite Sirah grown in this vineyard. Over the years the wines have been distinct and very malleable to the vintage but the layers of dark fruit flavor is always represented. So this wine was the natural choice for me to pickup to celebrate my birthday this past weekend.

Ridge Vineyards, Zinfandel, Geyserville 2005 ($34) - A field blend of 77% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane and 6% Petite Sirah. Very deep black-purple color with aromas of blackberry, kirsch, sage, fennel and cedar. The palate is classic Geyserville, with layers of dark fruit — blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry — supported by black pepper and spices. The tannins are firm but nicely integrated making the wine well balanced and very enjoyable right now. I would also expect this to age well over the next 8 to 10 years.

14.6% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 94
Rating: 4/5 stars

Buy this wine online.

I had high hopes to be able to feature some of the hybrid wine grapes developed to withstand the weather extremes here in Minnesota. So I searched out producers of Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, La Crescent, and Marquette. But I came up short on my afternoon of tasting at two local wineries and searching in local wine stores so these “indigenous varieties” will be written about another time.

So my backup plan was to write about my new obsession with Roussanne. As you know from my now daily posts, I’m making a wine from this grape at Crushpad along with many of you. Part of the research before crush is to nail down the style and other characteristics of Roussanne so I’ve been tasting quite a few of these wines of late. One of these wines hails from the Costières de Nimes in the Languedoc Roussillon region of France: Chateau L’Ermitage, “Cuvée Sainte Cécile.”

But before I review this wine, let me back up and talk about Roussanne and what makes this an “indigenous variety.” When Tyler introduced this theme, he asked us to find a wine made with grapes native to the region the wine is made. Unlike other Rhône grapes that are actually from Spain (Grenache being a good example) Roussanne can trace it’s heritage back to France’s Rhône Valley. Sticklers for detail might point out that Languedoc Roussillon is not the Rhône, but Costières de Nimes is just across the river from that famous region, so this wine is technically “indigenous.”

Roussanne gets it’s name from it’s russet color when ripe and is one of the more difficult grapes to grow. A late variety to ripen, Roussanne is very susceptible to rot and mildew. Therefore, it’s one of the most obscure white varieties with only a few hundred acres grown outside of it’s native Rhône. In the northern Rhône, Roussanne can only be blended with Marsanne. In the south, other varieties such as Grenache Blanc and Viognier are also permitted along with Marsanne.

Roussanne is known for it’s unique herbal aromatics and bracing acidity so blending with other grapes is most often what winemakers choose. In California and Australia some are bottling the variety on it’s own but the vast majority of the best examples are taken from the southern Rhône model and blended with Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Marsanne and sometimes Chardonnay.

One of Roussanne’s most interesting aspects is it is one of a few white wines that benefit from extended bottle age. Somewhat like Riesling, the wines are fresh and bold when young but take on very interesting bottle character with 10 or even 20 years of cellaring.

Chateau L’Ermitage is located in Costières de Nimes, literally across the river from the southern Rhône. Along with sea breezes from the Mediterranean, the vines benefits from soil mostly made up of fine pebbles which is typical of this terroir. Chateau L’Ermitage grow traditional Rhône varietals Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier.

Tasting Notes:

Chateau L’Ermitage Blanc, “Cuvée Sainte Cécile”, Costières de Nimes 2006 ($20) - A blend of 70% Roussanne, 20% Grenache Blanc and 10% Viognier.

Very floral and fresh with ripe pineapple, white peach, orange peel and almond aromas. Rich in the mouth with ripe pineapple and pear flavors finishing bone dry with good acidity. A very nice introduction to Roussanne blends at a steal of a price.

13% ABV
Synthetic cork closure
Score: 92
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Thanks again to Dr Vino for a great theme this month. I’m looking forward to tasting some wine from Portugal when my friends Gabriella & Ryan host next time.

Cameron Hughes, Lot 37, Grenache Rose, Campo de Borja 2006 ($10) - Clear ruby in color, a shade or two darker than normal for rose. Generous aromas of strawberry and grapefruit. Fresh and crisp in the mouth with strawberry and watermelon flavors finishing bone dry with good acidity. A very nice example of Spanish rose for a bargain price (I found this at Costco for $8.99 in Northern California).

14% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 87
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Buy this wine online

$14
13% ABV
Synthetic cork closure
Score: 86
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Buy this wine online

Note: This review is in response to Andrew’s email call to wine bloggers to emulate the style of Chateau Petrogasm, a Zen-like wine blog who reviews wine with a single image. I decided to start with something simple here and will graduate to a more difficult to decode review in a few days.

Photo by Sas Van Veen

Cameron Hughes, Lot 42, Shiraz Barossa Valley, “75 year Old Vines” 2005 ($18/sample)

Dark purple in color with blackberry, white pepper and fennel aromas. Rich and bold in the mouth with blackberry jam, mint and licorice flavors finishing with firm tannins. I’d lay this one down for a few years to let the tannins soften a bit or decant for 2-3 hours before serving. Another stunning value.

14.5% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 89

Buy this wine online

The reviews that follow are from a podcast I recorded with Cameron Hughes the last time I was in San Francisco. We covered his approach, sourcing practices and business model for over an hour; about 40 minutes of which was recorded. As fate would have it, this is the first podcast recording to inexplicably vanish since I started doing this almost 3 years ago. It’s really a shame, but Cam has agreed to re-record for an upcoming show in the next week or two. But I’m posting these reviews now because I don’t think there will be any wine left in two weeks time.

Cameron Hughes is a négociant who specializes in bringing the best value for money to wine lovers. He does this by finding the best juice available — increasingly from outside of the U.S. — and blending and bottling under his label. He keeps his costs low by only selling online or through Costco stores here in the U.S. who take a much lower markup than other wine retailers. The result are some stunning wines at prices that make you wonder what he’s thinking. For example, the wine here could stand up to a $50 Shiraz and hold it’s own; Cam sells it for $20. When I asked him about his pricing practices, he smiled and said, “I’m making friends…”; then he opened this wine for us to taste.

Cameron Hughes, Lot 38, Shiraz, Barossa Valley, “100 year Old Vines” 2005 ($20/sample)

Very dark purple in color with aromas of blackberry, mocha, licorice and spice. Jammy and rich in the mouth with blackberry fruit and black pepper flavors finishing with moderately firm, but well integrated, tannins and good acidity. This is a big wine but it has massive fruit to balance the alcohol and a concentration that seems to only come from old vines. I’m going to let my bottles rest for a year or two before enjoying but it’s drinking very well right now.

15% ABV
Stelvin closure
Score: 92

I would suggest you buy this wine sooner rather than later as only 500 cases were released yesterday. Visit Cameron Hughes online to order (no Costco for this one).

13.5% ABV
Score: 85

As posted on Snooth

Tasting Notes:

Deep ruby in color with aromas of black raspberry, sage, vanilla and licorice. Well balanced bramble fruit with black pepper and spice finishing with moderate tannins. Very nice, old school Zin and a good value.

14.7% ABV
Natural cork closure
Score: 87

Comments:

Rating: 4