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

2005 Frostwatch Cabernet Sauvignon

Opened at 5pm Wednesday. My advice? Don't drink on Wednesday.

This is full, unresolved in the least and reticent beyond reason.Open it and wait 24 hours, Thursday. BAMM. Bobs your uncle and Fannys your aunt.

Its rich and full. Deep dark black color. The nose is all blackberries and cassis. Wow. Its pure and clean. Great mouthfeel and structure with some nice soy notes, tar and leather. This is softly sweet and generous with nice balance. Great acid carried this one forward effortlessly. A nice super long and pure cab finish. If I had more I would not touch until the Republicans are back in control. I really like this wine. Can you tell?

92/100

A Ray Ormand find.

http://www.frostwatch.com/

2005 Shafer Vineyards One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon

This was a shock. After a dismal '04 I was half expecting the same wall of oak. Not today.
Ultra dark with crimson edges. The nose was all black currant and cherry cola. The palate exposed some amazing deep plush dark fruits of blackberry, currant, ans black cherry. There was a tiny sign of oak, but the whole package carried it well. Evident was some smokey vanilla beans. Some light cocoa and coffee beans. This was long and full and never let up. Finesseful and elegant with strength and body. Wow. The finish went on beyond 60. A very pleasing cabernet indeed, with a long life ahead. Need to decant a minimum of an hour, vigorous if able. 94/100

1991 Guenoc Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Beckstoffer IV (USA, California, Napa Valley)

The nose has sweet cherries and red cassis. The color is still lively. The palate had an elegant sweet red profile. There are the red Bing cherries, the red currant, some not so ripe red raspberries, low sodium soy and worn leather. Very nice. This is still alive and vibrant with nary a sign of age. Harkens back to another time in Cali winemaking. The only signs of age are the very subdued fruits and the totally resolved tannins. There is still quite a decent acid level that keeps this moving forward. A decent finish makes this a real winner. (91/100)

2005 Sbragia Family Cabernet Sauvignon Andolsen Vineyard (USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley)

Super dark color, almost black. The nose was pure blueberry and black cassis. This is huge. Very rare that I open a young'en up and say "This is too young!" This is that time. There is much happening in this black hole of a wine. Graphite, leather, tannins, blueberry, cassis, chocolate, tannins and the blackest-berry I ever encountered. There's also some sour cherry In the mix. All very primary and fresh. There is a touch of menthol here too. The balance is awkward and clumsy. 2-3 years will bring this one together nicely. For $27 this is a great deal. Drinks at least as well as many $60 bottles I have had. (This happens to remind me just a bit of the 2005 Rivers-Marie). The blackest Andolsen I have had from Sbragia. 90/100

After a 2-3 hour decant this was much more cohesive and complete. Duh!!

Tanzer says its the best Sbragia Andolsen he has sampled, I may have to agree.

2001 Dehlinger Cabernet Sauvignon - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

Medium dark color. The nose has some red currant and black cherry cola. Palate is very 'European' if you know what I mean... Some dirt and leather mixed in with some red and blacks fruits of black cherry and currants. Decent balance and mouth feel. A nice finish. This evolved nicely as the afternoon progressed. Just having the Ruston La Maestra the other day I can't say I enjoyed this as much. Sure, there's not much to fault with it but it comes down to a preference thing. Not mine in this case. (89 pts.)

2006 John Duval Wines Shiraz Entity - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

2 hour decant. Beautiful deep dark blackish hue. The nose is a very pretty subdued elegant soft cassis and warm blueberry pie. Very nice. The palate brings those qualities forward and adds to it with its silky mouth feel, very low-key slight sweet fruits with the red cassis, blueberries, boysenberry, and pomegranate. Nice notes of soy, slight black pepper, exotic Asian spices, and cedar. The tannins were in check, but surely present and this will be amazing in 2-3 years with no danger of decline anytime before my retirement date. A wonderful long and pleasing aftertaste that went beyond the 60 second mark, this has so much going for it. It has the Aussie profile but brought down 2 notches. I really enjoyed the glossiness and elegant structure. A great deal at $32 to boot. (93 pts.)

2001 Ruston Family Cabernet Sauvignon La Maestra - USA, California, Napa Valley

Bright ruby red. The nose is very Bordeaux like. Lots of lead pencil shavings, red-cherry, red currants and tar. The red fruit profile feels a bit restrained, reminiscent of Bordeaux, but there's much going on here to really like. Good medium weight mouth-feel, lot of what seems like secondaries of tar and cedar with some petroleum. (I think of the Petrol refinery across from Latour when-ever I get this). Could that be healthy? Anywho, this has a strong tannin base, and I believe this will be wonderful for the next 10 years. A slightly elevated acid level makes eating with this one imperative. The petit and cab franc really make themselves heard in this one. All in all a nicely structured and well balanced Cali blend. (91 pts.)

Some excerpts from the Ghost Ghorse dinner.

All wines were double decanted at for about 4 hours.

2005 Ghost Horse - This was hitting all cylinders and was greatly appreciated by this point of the nigh. It had deep dark color with great black fruits of cassis, blackberries and plum. Nice. Great elegance and structure showed breed and style. This was great. Very lush and smooth A long finish brought it home. I wish it has been maybe 5-8 degrees cooler in temperature though. Still all in all a great wine. WOTF, My #1. I had this pegged for the SHS or Harlan. 94/100

2002 Araujo Eisele - Back on track: Great black cherries and kirsch. Some cola and cocoa. Very nice. I wish this had more Oomph though. It was a bit feminine, but graceful and elegant. Not in the fat bruiser style at all, this is Araujo..... A good long finish. Very nice indeed. 93/100

2005 Merus - This was very different in style than anything on the table yet. Big brooding and well structured with very masculine lines. Nice dark black hole fruits of currant and boysenberry with some pomegranate. There was some soy and tarry leather. Consistent notes from previous visits with this wine. What a great wine with certain QPR for its price rage and certainly here tonight. 93/100

2003 Harlan Estate - Another medium colored wine with some Framboise, currant, and black cherries. It had a clean and nicely balanced mouth feel, and although a step up, still uninspired. Got better as time went on: took on some elegance and structure, but Harlan? I enjoyed this and am sure I would have even more if it were alone on the table and given some additional time to evolve. Easy WOTF. My #4 92/100

Shiraz/Syrahs Focus Group Tasting

2005 Innocent Bystander Shiraz-Viognier.
This seemed liked it was a bit over the hill. The color was a deep garnet with slightly browned edges. The palate had a nice balance and texture/mouth feel. It had a long finish. There was some white pepper and blueberries. The alcohol was a tad high. Seemed a bit oxidized but still nice. Just surprising it was a 2005. 88/100

2007 Sonoma Vineyards Syrah.
Young and vibrant. Darker and more purple tinged in color. A great nose of black pepper and blackberries. The palate had a wonderful mouth feel of lush red & black fruits. I really enjoyed this one. The finish was a bit short, but that was the only negative I can come up with. 90/100

2007 Zontes Footsteps Shiraz-Viognier.
Funky nose that dissipated after a few minutes. Very intense red fruit profile. This reminded me of a Barossa Shiraz. Very dark and brooding and a bit of saltiness present. This was a bit unyielding but interesting 87/100

2006 Hyland Penley Estate Coonawarra Shiraz.
Bright red fruit. Nice balance. Some tar and petroleum along with a bit of dirt. There are some nice reddish fruits of cherries and pomegranate. The mouth feel is a bit tart and sweet to my liking. 85/100

2004 Kunde Estate Sonoma Valley Syrah
We have arrived firmly in California. Great color. The nose had some wonderful blueberries and soy. This is a very big and at the same time elegant wine. The palate showed off some great black pepper, dark blueberry pie, and soy sauce. A little more bottle age and this will surely rock. Puts me in mind if the PAX Sonoma Coast wines.
92/100

2006 d’Arenberg The Stump Jump GSM.
Floral and fragrant with lots of perfume, this had a good red color. This was very different in its attack: some very soft red fruits were way up front. Cherries and pomegranate mixed with asphalt and flowers. Soft is the word here. Good balance, but not my cup ‘o tea. 86/100

2005 d’Arenberg d’Arrys Original Shiraz Grenache
Very strange nose of chemical and plastic. Unbalanced and awkward, this had a tart mouth feel and was sweet and salty. Not good. N/A

2006 Kilikanoon Killermans Run Shiraz Grenache
Dark red and black fruit profile of blackberries and Chinese apples. Nice mouth feel and texture. Some soy and dirt mixed in with some floral notes. This had so much going on at so many levels. Would be great with food. Long finish. 92/100

2006 d’Arenberg The Footbolt Shiraz McLaren Vale
Dark and exotic, this brought to mind a cabernet touch. Wonderful dark cassis and kirsch, black cherries and scorched earth made this a real winner of the night. Lots of structure and pizzazz with the long smooth finish you would hope for. What a surprise when unveiled. It reminded me of Brokenwood’s graveyard Vineyard Shiraz at 5x the price. Well done! QPR Indeed. 94/100

2006 Kilikanoon Killermans Run Shiraz South Australia
Dark and brooding I the glass, this had a pure black style fruit profile of blackberries and currant with some more kirsch. It was like the Footbolts younger brother. It had the elegance and structure. Nice. 90/100

2006 Four Vines Killer Canyon Paso Robles Syrah
Here’s where things go pear shaped in this 4th and final flight. Totally different than the last two, this had some nice balance and structure with some tart cherry, burnt cedar, pomegranate and blackberries. I had this pinned for an Aussie Cadenzia, but was wrong at the unveiling. A wow wine in its own right, but very different from the other two it had been grouped with. 92/100