So today we make....wine!

So today, I get my best sweat pants and worst shirt on because its winemaking time. My neighbor Mikey 'eyes' and I have decided to make 16 gallons of something, but we would not what until we source the grapes and taste the options. He thinks Merlot, while I am dreaming Cabernet. We taste the Merlot grapes. Seem a bit flat and bland leaves me not-so-excited. Next taste the Cabernet: hmmmmm, good fruit and all around taste. Ok, 1 down. Next it’s the Zinfandel: Nahh, just not hitting my right where it should. Grenache? Sure, ok, but nah, not a Grenache? Alicante? No friggin way. Grandpa may be disappointed though, if he were alive. Sitting on the other side of the loading dock, all alone is a stack of Petite Sirah. Yes! Petite Sirah sounds about right. I imagine our creation of a dark a brooding chewy red to drink with my charcoal steaks. Nope, Pat, the lady running the joint tells us there’s white mold. White mold? Isn’t that....sugar? What does that tell us? Probably nothing so I ask Pat: “Hey Pat, this means what?” Pat Confirms my ‘nothing’. She offers a discount of $10 per case? Ok, sure. Hey Mikey eyes, let’s make Cab and PS!

4 36 pound cases of each and $220 later, we have his Cadillac trunk and backseat filled with grapes crates. ($23 per for the PS and $33 per for the Cab). We bring it all to his buddy Carlos's home crush and barrel facility: A big double room in his backyard he custom built. Out comes the old crank crush and away we go into 50 gallon tub for each. First the PS, then the Cab. This contraption does not de-stem, so into the mix goes our hands pulling most of the stems out. Easier said than done especially with the Petite Sirah. After about 2 hours of de-stemming and alternating breaks to taste Carlos's lineup from last year we cover the tubs with a sheet and we will revisit in 6 days. Carlos will push the ‘cap’ down daily for us.

Carlos poured us his 2007 Zinfandel which made me almost regret our choice of not making Zinfandel. Great fruit, a good tannic backbone with some black pepper and blackberries. Very nice and Carlos was very eager to hear our honest opinions. He then siphoned off some of his Pinot Grigio that seemed to have a bit of he sulphur still in it masking any fruit. Next was a creamy Chardonnay that had a wonderful mouth feel. The Sauvignon Blanc was very respectable as well with some lemon notes and slightly elevated acid level which would make it a wonderful match for a piece of nicely cooked Lemon Sole. Last was the Cabernet which I found super primary.

Carlos is an all around humble & nice guy with a real passion for home winemaking. To be honest, I never had one, but tasting some of his I surely can see the light. His Zinfandel was the single best homemade wine I have ever had. I had offered to make him custom labels for his wines, an offer he thanked me for, but mentioned that he really wanted to be proud of a single barrel before he would even consider doing such. I told him the Zinfandel is such a wine. Hopefully he takes me up on my offer.

Next week we barrel our wines. (I will take photos and post here for anyone interested). I had a great time and hope it's the start of something we can look forward to on a yearly basis.

2003 CaliCab Virtual Tasting on eRobertparker.com

After the immensely successful Syrah Virtual last season, I thought it time to stoke the fires once again with a 2003 CaliCab Virtual Tasting. With over 40 people wanting to be a part of the wine drinking action (not like 'we'll get back to more golf action...') we were off to a good start.
I gotta admit, I was no fan of the vintage when it first came to town. The wines I initially tasted wee weedy, thin and often felt manufactured. Since that initial taste I have had over 150 203s and can honestly say: about 20 were stellar. The usual big boys as well as some surprises.

My first bottle for this tasting is the 2003 Jones Family 'The Sisters' bottling, which in truth is a proprietary red, but who's complaining? Not me.

The 'Virtual' runs from Friday, August 15th, to Sunday August 17th.

2003 Jones Family 'The Sisters'
Super dark and intense plum black color. Very pretty edges reminds me of Black-cherry jelly. The nose has some ultra dark fruits of blackberry, dark black cherry, and currant, as well as a very nice sweet red fruits that really pop. Upon entering the mouth you sense a purity not often found. The fruits want to numb your senses, but in a good way (and this is by no means a fruit bomb). A big structured wine with class. Some lead pencil shavings, leather, and camphor are there. Slightly elevated tannin structure tells me this will go another 5-8 years with no problem. An acid level that sits quietly in the background, trying not to bring attention to itself. Nice. Avery long finish of about a minute, (and even at two you can still taste this wine) wow. I love this stuff. Pure. Elegance & brawn all in one package and that's a tough one to pull off. 95/100

On Saturday I had the good fortune to visit with friends Nano and Claudia in their home for a BBQ. Amongst the dozen plus bottles served, I found a Virtual Tasting themed wine:

2003 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Concentrated dark color. This is a pure, clean and wonderful Cabernet that defies the reputation of the vintage. Plush and lush explosive black and red fruits of currant, blackberry and black cherry. Great creme de casis & Kirsch with just the slightest amount of chocolate mousse and a touch of cola. Great unobtrusive tannins that are finely weaved and fully evolved. This is an extremely balanced and deftly structured Cabernet. What a phenomenal effort from KL

TN: Mystery Cabernet...and a story.

Sometimes we all need a lesson in humility. I was served one just recently in my own home. I try not to ever be pretentious or snobby when it comes to wine, but sometimes we get away from ourselves.

I was served a mystery wine on Saturday. Me being the wise ass I am, with knowing and only that it was a 1998 (not to mention it was about the 5th bottle of the night), I went right to Napa and then I started to guess, even asking if it were even Cabernet. (A cab theme diner).

Good color and density, (sure, its Napa). Decent cassis and blackberry (sure, it's Napa). Slight greenness and somewhat 'manufactured' in style (sure is a 1998). Good mouth feel and length, and nothing really bad. (Sure, its 1998...?). A little more midpalate explosion of fruit going sideways..."Is it even Cabernet? Maybe Merlot. OK Steve, what Napa Cab was this?"

Egg on my face:

Steve E's notes to me: 1998 Allegro Vineyards, "Cadenza", Brogue, York County, Pennsylvania (95% Cab Sauv. 3% Cab Franc, 2% Merlot) John Crouch (deceased) - WinemakerTim Crouch (deceased) - Vineyard manager"The "Cadenza" was a meritage that varied in its composition (my recollection is that this was the heaviest % of cab sauv that they used). They started doing it sometime in the late 1980s (I think). It wasn't done every year, but 1998 was the last one done. As I said last night, this was not the strongest effort among the Cadenza, but gave you a good idea of the style at Allegro under the Crouch's. Very Bordeaux".
Yes, you read it right. Pennsylvania. In that context, a very decent wine indeed.

QPR?

Quality to price ratio. What’s the confusion?
One must find joy where one can. If you’re drinking $100 wines nightly, or even weekly, I want to be your neighbor. If one wants to seek real value for their dollar one looks for QPRs. Quality (is it good? Does it drink like a more expensive wine?) to price ($ paid) ratio (was it worth what you paid? Hopefully you can perceive it as being worth more).

The debate enters when QPRs are perceived as cheap or inexpensive wines. I think an injustice is being done if you lump all QPRs into the sub $20 range. I myself am finding them in many ranges. Here’s a few of my last years range’s range: $9, $23, $39, $90. What they are is not important. What they have in common to me is. They are all QPRs in their price range. That means they drink like a wine valued more than itself. My reasoning or justification is simple enough, to me. What they mean to you is surely different. Just please don’t confuse QPRs with cheap everyday drinkers, for if I could drink that 2003 Kobalt Cabernet ($90) as an everyday wine, I may need to do a George Jefferson.
Anything available in your neighborhood?

Aussie Shiraz: Maybe I was wrong after all?

There is one tasting I try not to miss every year; it’s the ‘Wine Australia Festival New York’. This is when Australia comes half way around the world to show metro area distributors, restaurateurs and retailers what they have to offer.

I show up half heartily and with a sour stomach to taste through these wines yesterday (1/24/2008). I must be nuts, right? Wrong.

I found some very interesting stuff amongst the ocean of typical Shiraz and blends. I have been very critical as of late, and may have been rough on Aussie Shiraz. For the most part, I do believe that the winemakers are adjusting toward the elegant styled, and leaving the bombastic style behind, and my tasting notes from yesterday reflects my thinking on this subject.

Too many of these wines were still monstrous fruit bombs though. I never changed my glass more than I did this day. The residue made my glass almost opaque on more than one occasion.
I worked my way around looking for familiar names first. I came across Green Point & Cape Mentelle. The latter was offering the 2004 Margaret River Shiraz, which was pretty great. Even better than the Reserve Shiraz which I found dry and austere. The Shiraz is from the Margaret River region on western Australia. Great blueberries and violets with smooth cocoa atop a wonderful mouth feel and lush tannin base. This is a complex wine with a great finish. I doubted the price and looked thrice, $25. 90/100. My second ‘find’ is the Yering Station 2005 Reserve Shiraz Viognier: This had a wonderful super elegance with boysenberry, white pepper, and blueberry. The Viognier added a slight floral note. This was a deep serious wine that goes on forever. I like the fact that it did not have a catchy name other than Shiraz Viognier. Very Rhone like, but keeping its roots firmly in Australia. A tremendous winner. 95/100. Next up was the 2004 Tintara Shiraz Reserve: I always have found the Tintara line-up a great qpr, and this Reserve is no different. The difference lies in its amazing classy styling of fruits and tannic structure. Wonderful refined dark fruits surrounded by the most deft tannin level I have ever experienced in a Tintara. Breed and finesse is abounding here. 93/100 ($50). My fourth ‘revelation’ wine is very different but still Shiraz: the 2005 Tyrrell’s wines DB 24: This was probably the single best wine I have ever tasted coming out of Australia. Period. Ultra pure dark red black and blue fruits. The tannin level is so complex, we need another word for complex. This wine would appeal to the world-class claret drinkers out there. It is so claret like I needed to use the world again. Pure lush midpalate, with a finish that confounds. 24 months in oak, this amazing wine is a real treat of the senses. A Cabernet drinkers Shiraz. 96/100. ($80).
Last but certainly not least is a wine called 2005 Yangarra Cadenzia. Cadenzia seems to be a special McLaren Vale membership wine that at the moment there are only six of. A GSM blend, this one had all the stuffing’s: Elegance, structure, style, class, and…value. Lush and fragrant, this defies its price tag. $25. I defy you to find a better GSM blend for this money. I mentioned to the winemaker that after I have heard the spiel, I reckoned I would hear a price to match like say... $65ish? Nah, this is the super QPR of the day. 92/100

The problems I have found with many cabernet's coming out of Australia are usually the greenness, or over extraction. I wish I could find one comparable to the Napa style (Michael Chiarello, please don’t sue). For the most part they leave me wanting, and are unbalanced. I did find an interesting one or two though: The 2003 Jacobs Creek St Hugo had a smooth eucalyptus nose and palate. This harkened me back to Heitz Martha’s of yesteryear, if just for a super slight second. Deep red fruits and a smooth underlying tannin base. All this with a decent midpalate. Nice cocoa and tar notes were in the house as well and this begged for food, although I think the eucalyptus would tire out quickly. 89/100. The second was the 2004 Parker Estate First Growth. ($65). A great Bordeaux styled blend that had great dark ad red fruits with some cocoa, leather, anise, and tar. A nice bottle of wine, if a bit pricey. 90/100

The Shiraz was the stars of the day. Some worth seeking out. My palate still loves those cool climate Syrahs, where ever they may come from.

Is the bloom off the rose? Cults in the 21st Century or ‘What the hell is going on here?’

With all the mailers arriving these days, a few really stick out: Levy & McClellan, Futo and Sloan. Sloan is in its 4th year of release and the price has gone from $165 to $325. L&M 2004 was $350 out of the gate (and now, their second offering is up $50!!). Futo was $200.

What the hell is happening here? These wines have almost no track record to speak of, save for Sloan, but yet the price increases are astronomical. With Harlan at $450 and Screaming Eagle at $500, it’s no wonder what the goal is? The $500 bottle of Cabernet. Will they stop there? Nah.

To understand what is going on one must know some history of the ‘Cult’. I think there was a real need in the market for a wine of promise and rarity back in the early 90s, (keeping in mind these wines were in the $50 range) That was the niche, to create a false market by making people think they were getting ‘exclusive’ wines that a great percent of wine lovers will never be able to find with out forgoing a months mortgage payment. Lists were quickly formed. Even wait-lists. These days Screaming Eagle sells on the secondary market for between $1300 and $3500 for certain vintages. Just last week even Bill Harlan has mentionedin an interview that he thouht the 1997 Harlan was over the top. Is he not a fan? The goal is to garner as many points from the critics as possible. When a wine is bestowed the elusive ‘100’.... look out! Mass hysteria ensues. Many Cults have been given that score, so it’s easy to track some history. The 2002 Sloan shot up to $600 on the secondary market! Some buyers I know never even held the bottle in their hands as their 3 bottles allocation went directly to their new owners right from the winery. Imagine? A staggering $1100-$1200 profit for doing…nothing, but to be on the 'list'.

The chase is on. These new offerings are a product of this phenomenon. That’s why everyone wants to get on the list, and then stay on the list (even through 'off' vintages) to get the next 100 pointer.

Ever drink a 100 point wine? I have, a few times. Funny, I usually don’t get it personally. They are usually great wines mind you but perfect? I do have some 92s and 94s (Pobega point’s that is) that were actually better than some 100 RPs. (in my humble estimation that is).

At the end of the day isn’t that what’s important? Drinking something that spins your wheels as opposed to some critic’s wheels? There will always be flippers for these wines, as there will always be buyers. The market always sets its own pace, and there is not anything we can do about it. Why should I care you ask? I care because this has an effect on the whole market and sends my 92 pointers (Pobega points that is) skyrocketing well above the comfort level. Everyone’s comfort level is different, but my personal one is about $50-$85. Sure I go above it from time to time (probably too much) but as my friend Ben Sherwin says "If you can't run wth the big dogs you gotta stay on the porch". My criteria for doing so is simple: I've got to taste the wine first, and only then will happily get behind a wine I love. Maybach comes to mind. Even when Chris Maybach told buyers to be patient, there were still some negative tasting notes floating around. People started publicly dumping their Maybach. Guess what happens next? Parker gave it a 95. No more dumping (both on and the wine itself). I happened to give it a 96 as well. Just 9 months too early.

I know of many wine buyers who seek the Screaming Eagles out just to have... a Screaming Eagle, not even knowing if they like the style! I also know there are true lovers of these wines. This is not a personal attack on you. Some I consider good friends as well.

Will this craziness ever end? Probably not. As long as I can find my Kuleto's ($40), Ehlers ($25), Realm's ($85), and Sorrel Canyons ($9), and still feed the kids, I won’t complain…..much.

Added 2/18/2008- The latest vintage of Screaming Eagle has just gone to mailer: $750.00 per bottle!!

Thoughts?

Offline planning or 'Why I should have my head examined'

Most of you know me from my CLONYC activities. I love putting these types of events together. They are hard work but well worth the outcome.

I would like to believe I have learned a thing of two about what is acceptable and not acceptable activity when attending these dinners. The people who become part of them are from all walks of life and many have become great friends of mine. When putting an offline together I strive to be fair to everyone involved. I have even kept my brother out of one because he was a bit late in responding back to me. I usually make a goal and try to work with the individuals in reaching it, on occasion offering wines at cost from my 'not very deep' cellar. If the theme is a vertical, (where the same wine from different vintages) I try and secure as many good vintages as possible. I have been known to shy away from off vintages in the past. I think some may have the wrong idea of my motives when doing so, but the reality is such: if I am going to go to the trouble and expense of a great dinner, I want the best possible examples of said wine present. There is usually a guest or two who has to 'source' the bottle. I especially avoid off vintages from these guests as the fairness is lost when they pay 50-60% less than others have paid for the better vintages. Not fair. One rule I have not really implemented is backups. I can see the importance of having backups, but reality usually kicks in and makes it tricky. I have thought long and hard about some ways to equally balance costs from guests. I have even thought of pairing two guests up to achieve some goals. Maybe I think too much.

One thing that has really stuck in my craw lately is large pours. Not fair. If there is 12 guests in attendance, and a bottle (750ml) has roughtly 26 ounces, it amounts to just slightly over 2 ounces per pour! More than once did the bottle run dry before the 12th guest got it. If I ever do a vertical again I will keep it 10 guests and share the cost of the last two bottles. I always prefer when the staff does all the pouring. An interesting wine pouring format evolved at the last CLONYC (credit must be given to Stephen and his staff at ZOE Soho); The staff poured 2 ounces per glass (even though we had 9 guests), leaving almost a third in the bottle. Initially I was curious to why, but after the second wine was poured I realised the benefit and knew I liked this format, as it gave the guests a chance to 're-visit' wines they liked, between flights while having the ability to actually taste wine #11, 12 &13 and still be being able to make conclusions and form lucid opinions on these wonderful wines. I myself have been to offlines where the last wine was WOTN, and I never even remember tasting it!

Many wines throw off sediment, even when young. When guest pour I specifically ask them to start each bottle (with the guest that had brought it), and pass it right. This ensures no one ever gets the sediment 'dregs' twice. If the staff is pouring I ask them to start at a different guest with each bottle.

As I already stated, these tastings/dinners are tremendous work, but well worth it. I do it because I love to do it. I always ask my guests for thoughts and comments and this time will no different. What say you?

What do point scores mean to me?

Lots of talk of this subject as of late. Good points made on both sides of the wall. Me? I am solidly aground in my use of them. I think they work well for my needs and give me a yardstick to judge all wines that cross my lips.

When reading others notes I really have no use for the points UNLESS I know the tasters preferences. Descriptors are more important to me than point scores 98% of the time.

I know what I like in a wine, but does that mean your button pushers are the same? No way.

I agree with BS, professional critics scoring schemes are different, but not. You must find a critic you align with, and only then feel comfortable relying on his scores can you purchase on his recommendation, but remember, there is nothing like tasting for yourself and making your own judgement.

Let's not abolish points just yet. They have a place, even if it's under your own roof.

But what the hell do I know?

"Where did all my Bordeaux go?" or 'Where's the fruit?"

I started 'this thing of ours' in 1981. Wine was relatively inexpensive and bargains were plentiful. The 'boom' had not hit yet, at least not the boom which has brought us to today's conditions.

I enjoyed Bordeaux from the left bank (more CS based than Merlot). I was able to get wines like 1978 Beychevelle for $11 and 1982 Lafite Rothschild futures for $300...a case!

It took some time, but I was able to build up quite a nice collection. Moderately rare Bordeuax going back to the teens (1918 Calon Segur) by tapping some of the great cellar auctions like Delmonicos in NYC. I had amassed many top vintages of the 40's, 50's, 60's and 7o's. I remember bidding on a pair of 1926 Mouton Rothschilds. When the bidding went above $200 for the pair I stopped. I also remember bein offered a newly Chateau re-corked 1934 Lafite on sale at Sherry Lehman for about $150. By time I went back to to the shop, it was gone. I found I had filled my Eurocave quite nicely.

California Cabernet was a very different beast then; monolithic and primary for the most part. Lingering in the back of my mind I had always felt there was something I was missing in all the wines I drank.

Somewhere around 2001 I awoke and realized; I did not like Bordeaux. To me it was funky, barnyardy, missing fruit and just plain amiss. The whole concept of 'secondary nuances' flew past me. In contrast, many of today's California Cabernet's are full of deep red/black fruits, wonderful lush mouth feel, and just all around enjoyable. I happen to like my Cabs young; 5-10 years is perfect, and I am not shy about opening my 2004's either. Why wait? If I enjoy them now, what's to gain? (I love when I see tasting notes proclaiming "wonderful, 95 points! I will wait for my other 5 to get better." Better? There is a high probability they will be disappointed.)

What to do? What to do?

I sold ALL of my Bordeaux and restocked with my beloved newly rediscovered Cabernet. Not just any Cabernet, pure Napa Valley elixir.Don't cry for me...I did OK.

An interesting wine taste observation

Yesterday I opened what amounts to my 3rd bottle in 2 months. (I have been going real easy, getting in shape and lowering some numbers).

Anyhow, I opened this good bottle of Cab, figuring it would be nice to enjoy with dinner.

I decanted and let sit in my glass. it was good. Then I opened the sliding door to my deck and took my glass with me, sat it down while I lit the Weber, and took another sip. WOW. Much fresher and bigger fruit. I even enjoyed the cool glass smells right before sipping. It was not that the wine cooled, but the environment around it did. Fresh NY fall air. Lots of red and yellow leaves on the ground. Wonderful clean air. 50 degree F. with a light breeze. And this all showed in my glass.

I finished up and sat for dinner. Same good wine but the exterior wow had subsided. Needless to say I finished the last half a glass a fresco.

Maybe its the fact that I have been away for a bit, combined with the fresh air. So to all those posts asking if any particular environment treats wine better, my answer is a resounding....yes.

I should hold my next OL outside.

This is why you can't find '02 SHS on the market

This Winecommune guy has 22 bottles for sale!!