2005 Jones Family The Sisters - USA, California, Napa Valley

6 hour decant. Deep ruby color. The nose is pure crème de cassis and kirsch royal. The palate reveals a nice pure sweet red & black fruit profile, and not the cloying sweetness I detest. Great black cherry, black currant, cherry cola, pomegranate, with some soy, soil, and lead pencil shavings. This has a lushness not normally associated with wines at this price point. A nice ripeness that just falls short of the 'too ripe' point. A medium to full bodied mouth feel that is long, elegant, and beautifully structured. The tannins are on the biggish side and a few years in the cellar will most certainly reward the owner. A creamy extended finish completes the package. I wanted to try this as I seen the Jones website still offering me more. I ordered 6 more. One of my favorite list purchases and one to surely remain on.A QPR in its class. Free shipping and 50 dollars per. Seems like a no brainer.(93 pts.)

My first 99 point wine. (MP 99 that is)

Last week I had the pleasure of tasting some great cabs with friends. All showed good to great but one has stuck in my sensory memory bank for 8 days. I actually thought of it more than the US economy, (but slightly less than my economy). I have checked WS no less than twice daily for new arrivals within driving distance. 2 are sched'd to be shipped tomorrow. More will follow.

I think I may have actually tasted one of the greatest wines in my life yet, a pretty heady statement since I've surely tasted 10,000+ if I tasted 1. (and yes, I've learned to spit early on). I gave this wine a MP95, but will be visiting my written notes and changing to 99. The wine you ask:

2004 Buccella- Wow. dense and brooding. This had it all and it was all strutting. Dark chocolate wrapped black cherries . Soy, kirsch, cola, wow. This had structure and elegance with flash and fury. I love this bold in your face style of pure cali-cab. A super long dense finish with gobs of fruit. One of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. wow. 99/100

A few Italians. Some for now, some for later.

2003 Jacopo Biondi-Santi Montepaone Toscana IGT - Pretty & vibrant ruby red color. Very fragrant nose of boysenberries, currants, and ripe black cherries. Some earth and soy. This has a very mid weight mouth fell, but is elegant and super classy. Some crème de cassis and framboise. Tight tannins and nicely balanced, this has a very long and pure finish. I really enjoyed this. Got it on my 2009 short and getting shorted list of wines to obtain. Nice now but will age gracefully for a few years. 92/100

2003 Il Greppone Mazzi (Ruffino) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - Light in color, but never judge a wine by color alone. This is big and super structured. Amazing density and purity. Lots of black and red fruits (leaning to the former). Some red cherries, some black berries, some dark currant and some raspberries. Some earthiness and a touch of newly rubbed leather. This has an ultra pure mouth feel that has tannins to spare. Amazing. This needs 5 years in the bottle. A very long and fruit filled finish completes the package. One of the nicest young Brunellos I have ever had. 92/100

2005 Cantine Leonardo da Vinci Chianti Classico Riserva - Darkish purple in color. A clean and pure nose of rose petals and blackberries. The palate shows an elegantly well structured and beautiful bright fruit profile of blackberries and black cherries. The mouthfeel has a depth of purity rarely encountered in young Chianti Riservas, at least for me. I truly love the accessibility of this one. It has great acid and tannin balance that really pushes forth toward an elegant and fragrantly heady finish. Wow. Enjoy this one now with a nicely prepared Veal Saltimbocca or hold for a bit. Needs to be sampled to be believed. One of my perennial favorite Chiantis. 92/100

Pobega's Pizza Ca-Blast! (and my first 99 point wine!)

What's better than an afternoon of friends and Cabernet? An afternoon of friends, Cabernet and PIZZA! A decent sized group met at my home for such an afternoon on Presidents Day Weekend Sunday. What a great time. The 2001 Cabernet theme was augmented with a few surprises. Many were served blind.

2001 Bond Matriarch- Somewhat old red coloring on opening and decanting. So much so I thought it flawed. It darkened with decanter time. Nice cassis filled black fruited profiled cab with class and structure. Some tar and leather. A bit restrained in style. I was expecting a more lush style. This had a nice finish. 92/100

2001 Shafer Napa Decent dark color. Lots of red and black fruits going on. Some cassis & black cherry. The acid level was surely elevated from my last sampling about 3 months ago. Strange? There was some discussion on whether this was damaged. It just did not do as well today. N/A

2001 Justin Isosceles Reserve- deep dark black color. I guessed this on bottle shape alone! It had some pure and elegant cassis. A very wonderful Paso signature of black and green olives. Very nice. I really enjoyed this wine. It was a well structured mid-weight cab based wine with tons of character, breed, and elegance. Super long finish. A real treat. 93/100

2004 Maybach Materium- I knew I had this before by nose alone. An I knew I liked it before. It was dark and lush with some eucalyptus. A wonderful mouth feel with some decent structure and an exotic woven tannin level. I had pinned this for a Merus. It was long and full with tons of black cherries and currant. Some cola and cocoa. A Very early favorite. I would have decanted longer as a two hour decant did not seem enough. 92/100

2001 Beringer Reserve- This showed very odd. It was red in style with lots of new oak and vanilla. It reminded me of a Simi Reserve in some ways. The finish seemed slightly acidified and the mouth feel was a bit angular. I am a big fan of Sbragias wines and this was a bit of a shocker. More Foley than Sbragia. 89/100

2004 Buccella- Wow. dense and brooding. This had it all and it was all strutting. Dark chocolate wrapped black cherries . Soy, kirsch, cola, wow. This had structure and elegance with flash and fury. I love this bold in your face style of pure cali-cab. A super long dense finish with gobs of fruit. One of the greatest wines I have ever tasted. wow. 99/100

2003 Slaughterhouse Cellars Cabernet-Bright red fruit on the nose and palate. This was served blind. It had good reddish fruits of cherries and pomegranate. Some currant with some cherry cola. A fun and single dimensional wine that seemed the perfect foil for a fun pizza filled Sunday. You are as good as the company you keep. Nano purchased on name alone. Slaughterhouse.....88/100

2001 Forman- The color was deep and dark. The nose is all funky barn-yard and dirt mixed with a remnant of fruit......somewhere. Very European in style. The palate had some red and black fruits of cassis, red cherries, blackberries with some tar and anise. I have had this a half dozen times and this has surely declined from what it was from 5 years ago. A sloppy mess. Who brought this? 86/100 (me)



And then there was the pizza.......

Thanks to all for participating. See you at Ca-Blast II?

Steven Eisenhauer's Congruence Cabernet Update

If you have ever met Steve you may already know of his passion for great wine (alongside that boyish smile) but did you also know that his passion extended to making a top performing Cabernet? It’s tricky when a friend shares wines that he has made with you. You want to always be fair and with a friendship in the balance you might have the tendency of fluffing, even in the slightest. Happily for all, fluffing is not needed when we speak of Steve’s Congruence Cabernet Sauvignon.

2008 Congruence Napa Valley (barrel sample 1) - nice blackish color, purple tinged edges. Great nose of red and black fruits with something of a hint of herbaceousness reminiscent of Petit Verdot but I was assured none was in the mix. 4 separate vineyards of Cab coming together here.
The palate has great currant filled fruits layered with some black cherry and blackberries. Throw in some cassis liqueur and a touch of leather. Elegant now and if it were a bit plusher I would have thought it be a very high end Cali cab. Really.
The mouth feel is very nice and everything is hitting a harmony very early on, keeping in mind this is a barrel sample, I just got to say….wow. Super structured with a balance and promise one could not ignore. Once this has a few years in the bottle and sheds its almost non-existent baby fat anyone lucky enough with some in their cellar will be greatly rewarded. (This is the final blend choice for the 2008 Congruence).
I had asked Steve to please re-label as Chateau Mike. He said he will think bout it. :)
93/100

2008 Congruence barrel sample (blend 2) – This was very different. One of the component sites of Cab has been removed and it is surely missed. It had some black fruits, some cassis but was much edgier and more four square in style. Gone is the elegance and structure and present is some sour cherry and and a slightly green tinged short finish. Amazing when you realize how that one site of Cab really fills out the sum of all. The group of tasters all agreed on this as well. Since final blend choice was not known going in, Steve was beaming as he told us that his final blending choice had already been decided and was glad to announce it was number 1 above. So were we.

Contact Steve Eisenhauer at princessgate@comcast.net to get further info about this wine today. The inaugural vintage (2007) is already allocated but for this vintage (2008), he has increased production to about 115 cases.

1984 Spottswoode Cabernet from a pristene 3L bottle

This had a vibrant darkish color. Pretty amazing for its age. Some nice fully resolved red fruits on the nose. Cherries with some black currant. The mouthful was soft and well structured. Age has been kind to this and the bottle size had to be at least in part responsible as well. There was a slight old cab quality in the nose, a sort of hint of reductiveness, but a beauty it was. The tannins were fully resolved and the fruit was still showing itself nicely. Lots of secondaries of soy, leather, and anise. A perfect foil for Steve’s famous Napa Cabernet braised short ribs! 92/100

Drank alongside a 1983, 1985, and 1987 Spottswoode Cabernets. The ‘83 was a tired old man. The ‘85 slightly more youthful, and the ‘87 the best of this group. There was a commonality of reductiveness on all. The 1984 was the rockstar. Not being the biggest fan of old wines, this was an interesting lineup indeed.

A vertical of Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage

Last night a decent sized group of intrepid wine lovers trekking through snow wind and ice got together at Lenny and Susan Fox's home for some fantastic Italian fare and a vertical of Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage. As usual the company was fantastic, the conversation interesting and fun. Lenny and Susan are great hosts with an unmatched graciousness and generosity. This whole lineup as well as a starter or two and a port were furnished by the Fox's Thank you!There were some early bottles of Champagne, Riesling and a Scholium white that I did not note on.The lineup:

1998 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage The lightweight of the group. Lenny mentioned that the last time he had it he sensed it was over the hill. This had a light color, with barely a sign of aging on the edges. The fruits were very low key, if evident at all but it remained a nice glass of wine. A lightweight wine that took on more weight in the glass. It had some earth and soy notes with gravel and leather. It was the favorite of some at the table, I sensed those with a more Francophile leaning palate, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

1999 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage I sensed some VA initially that blew off after 10-15 minutes. This was surely bigger and bolder in style with some blackish fruits, tar, and earth. A medium bodied wine that had a nice finish. A very nice drink indeed. Things were coming around.

2000 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage The breakout wine for me. Somewhat new world in style, but still had its feet firmly in the old world. Big red fruits with some white pepper. The fruits were dry and a touch austere and the mouth feel fuller and plusher than the previous two. I really enjoyed this.

2003 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage Now we’re talking: smoke and pepper and cooked meats with crushed stones and blueberries. This had the biggest nose of the group that seemed to turn a bit Aussie in style as it sat in the glass, more candy notes came through on the nose. Some tartness on the palate was evident. This was the highest alcohol % yet and it showed. Its fully ripened style came shining through. This was yet even still more new world, and an interesting conversation followed about the style shifts through out the night .Its truly amazing how this vertical the lineup offered something for everyone, truly. This had a long silky finish. Nice.

2005 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage Fragrant and beautiful, this had the prettiest & brightest nose of the lineup. Dense color and bright red fruit profile on the palate. Cherries, red raspberries, and some pomegranate, this was fantastic. A nice full body with great structure and finely weaved tannin level. The acid was slightly raised, but not negative at all as the wine held its balance and surely had the fruit to back it up. In keeping with the progression of the night wines, this was the most Californian of the group. Silk and slightly chewy, I loved it. Wow

2006 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage A closed nose and a very tight palate, the youngest is surely showing its youth. I was really coaxing but this showed barely the black-red fruits and some soy and leather, but believe me, I had to swirl to find it. I am not sure of how long these were opened in advance, but this needs a few years to shed it shell and shine. Hopefully it could become just like its 1 year younger sibling, but I also sensed there was a slightly more old world Syrah hiding in there. Time will tell.

So the moral of the story is, old and new world wine lovers can co-exist...But they must like each other before they start to try.
Thanks everyone present for a great evening.

2005 Charles Smith Wines “Skull Syrah” -Royal Slope Columbia Valley

Dark as night, this wine must be tasted to be believed. Its thick and dense, but yet polished and structured. An incredible mouth feel with gobs of black fruits, a hint of licorice, with both black and white peppercorns. A wall of pure Syrah that explodes, but should never be considered a fruit bomb, ever. Complex tannins that have shed nothing, and 3-4 years are warranted.

This is amazing and rare. Only 190 cases were made and none will be made in ’06, so look for the ‘07s when they hit.
95/100

2006 Long Shadows Sequel Syrah

A John Duval wine. Super concentrated and brooding color, this is one serious Syrah, probably the most serious I have had in a few months. A bright but elegant fruit profile with blackberry and blueberry pie. This has the mouhfeel of a new world and the class of an old world Cote Rotie. This will appeal to fans of both styles. White pepper and anise with some smokey bacon. The structure is mind boggling. Long and elegant, but smooth and well balanced. A velvety texture of tannins and a lithe acid level makes this a winner. I truly love this one. Can you tell?
94/100

2005 Long Shadows Pedestal

80% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cab Franc. Aged for 22 months in 85%new French oak.

The nose on this is huge. Red flowers with red cherries and red plums. This is somewhat austere on the palate with a somewhat high acid level and drying tannins. I found a very admirable mouth feel with clove and chocolate, and some cedar and spiciness. Great 'bones'. This should be wonderful in about 3 years. Right now its in a tough place, but the pedigree shows. A Michel Rolland wine.

2005 Long Shadows Pirouette- WOW

Dark and mysterious purplish hue. The nose is sweet black fruits intertwined with flowers petals and earth.The palate reveals a super plush and elegant mouth feel with seamless intertwined and ultra classy tannin level. There is wonderful of black currants, black cherries, soy, earth, and a creamy pure tight wire of joy. Philippe Melka is involved with this one and it shows the talent this man brings to the table. He is a a French man with new world sensibilities. This is very much like many of his other wonderful wines offered from California that I have sampled, Lail Cuvee Daniel particularly comes to mind. The finish is very long and smooth. A must buy in the $55 range. 93/100 and nothing but upside.

57% Cabernet Sauvignon
20% Merlot
14% Syrah
5% Malbec
4% Cab Franc
22 months in 75% new French oak