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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.1 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 45 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Dagman on 6/9/2022 & rated 89 points: Enjoyable but it has slipped past its prime. The fruit is still there (berries) but the tannins have mellowed so much, the wine was falling somewhat flat. (597 views) | | | Tasted by billyabbott on 2/15/2020: Leathery nose, dry and fruity palate – red and black berries with a touch of sweetness into the finish. (1329 views) | | | Tasted by Baron Slick on 12/15/2018 & rated 93 points: Gorgeous wine. It opens to a deep, penetrating, leathery bouquet of cherries, cassis, and red currants atop foresty earth, pencil shavings, petrichor, and smoke. The palate is plush, vinous, and elegant, with serious structure and a dry yet juicy tension that frames a beautiful harmony between fruit and umami elements. Brambly spice and youthful tannin grip the long and savory finish. Outstanding, Old World wine with the bones to last. 93+ (2213 views) | | | Tasted by Coachron13 on 2/3/2018 & rated 90 points: This has changed since our last bottle. Has a woodsy/smoky thing going on in the background. Still a nice blend, but it seems to be heading toward an end point. (2815 views) | | | Tasted by cgspaul on 1/13/2018 & rated 94 points: Plum and Black fruits and integrated, smooth tannin. Long on aftertaste with slight cocoa and vanilla. Slight smokey also on aftertaste. Execllent wine (2312 views) | | | Tasted by madvitale on 1/10/2017 & rated 92 points: Been holding on to this for some time now. Had it over the last few days and it was wonderful. Complex flavors and a lingering finish. Excellent with the Eye-round stuffed with a pepperoni that we had Sunday. Pasta with red onions, cooked with the Eye-round so the 'sauce' is basically cooked-down red onions with meat flavoring. Grated Romano cheese and you are ready to go. A family favorite for generations and this wine complemented it well. (3404 views) | | | Tasted by JLPwine on 5/3/2016 & rated 92 points: Beautiful wine. Decanted 2 hours and it settled out nicely (3589 views) | | | Tasted by fritzo on 12/6/2015 & rated 92 points: This was a wonderful Bordeaux blend of 57% Cabernet S., 26% Cabernet Franc, 11% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec. Lush, plush and flavorful; a very nice wine. Wish I could find some more. (3540 views) | | | Tasted by Coachron13 on 6/19/2015 & rated 92 points: A big, deep dark blend. Lots of fruit in the nose and on the palate. Love all the Cyrus vintages, this one is another good one. (3263 views) | | | Tasted by Motz on 3/30/2015 & rated 92 points: Huge, flamboyant, even somewhat hedonistic. Bouquet of high quality oak, including a certain floral sweetness. Without any indication of Alexander Valley terroir. Jammy, ultra-ripe blue and black berry drenched palate. Excellent acid, strong structure, huge alcohol! Not my drink of choice, but Wow!!!...there's a lot of it!!! (3697 views) | | | Tasted by rocknroller on 1/10/2015 & rated 92 points: Last Minute Get Together (Kevin and Vicki's): Very dark red/purple color. Decanted for about an hour. Drank 2 glasses over 90 minutes. There's really nice fruit on the nose, pretty black and blue fruits of creme de cassis, blueberry, black raspberry and some menthol. The palate is more approachable than expected with very appealing tannins, full bodied, nice texture, cassis, blueberry, glycerin, minerals, maybe a hint of stems. The finish is medium plus and quite round already. Another fine showing from AVV Cyrus. A very underrated value IMO. Approachable now with a minimal decant and will improve over 5 years. (3296 views) | | | Tasted by Jeffbrian on 9/20/2014 & rated 89 points: Dark ruby in color tar and cedar on the nose. Chewy tannins vanilla with hints of charred oak. Long finish. Probably needs longer decanting with few more years in the cellar. (2582 views) | | | Tasted by wmccone54 on 2/14/2014 & rated 92 points: Restaurant purchase at Valentines' Day dinner. It's been a few years since I've tried this, but my past experience was favorable. Needs decanting and some air, but a solid CA Meritage. First impression is of lots of black earthiness, black fruits, and excellent structure. Chewy tannins but very manageable. Will probably benefit from a couple more years in the cellar, but decant and enjoy with hearty food for the foreseeable future. (3095 views) | | | Tasted by vine20 on 1/12/2014 & rated 90 points: Deep ruby color with a muted, mixed, red fruit nose. Layered cherries, some vanilla, cedar and coffee with a moderate tanin and structure. I remember this wine being a bit bigger and more resonant with black fruit than were the current two. It could probably improve with a couple of years cellaring, but I wouldn't wait beyond 2015 to try it again. (2732 views) | | | Tasted by ProfPaul on 4/12/2013: Medium bodied and dark red in the glass, the 2009 Cyrus is fourth wine from the AAV’s “Alexander School” series I’ve tried this year and the descriptor that all of them have in common is elegant. In the Sonoma fruit-forward style there was plenty of dark fruit and silky tannin, cherries, some blackberry, cedar, even some lavender and rose on the nose. Initially there were some rough edges on the finish but with a bit of they disappeared into something lingering and very enjoyable. (2929 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Sonoma...A Thrill a Minute (Jul 2013)
(Alexander Valley Vineyards Cyrus Alexander Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Alexander Valley Vineyards Producer website
Alexander Valley Vineyards is owned and operated by the Harry Wetzel family. Founded in 1975, it is located on Cyrus Alexander's old homestead.
The Wetzel Family Estate now grows fourteen grape varieties, on diverse sites stretching from the banks of the Russian River up onto the hillsides. Each grape variety is matched to a specific soil type and exposure. Vineyard Manager Mark Houser and Winemaker Kevin Hall work as a team to maximize fruit flavor in the vineyard and to create balanced wines that capture the grapes’ varietal characteristics. Hank Wetzel oversees the vineyard and winery operations, and his wife Linda continues to oversee administration. Now the third generation of Wetzels has joined the winery. Harry Wetzel, IV is assistant winemaker while younger brother Robert is the National Sales Manager.
Alexander Valley Vineyards produces 100,000 cases annually, 17 varietal wines and proprietary blends. Seventy-five percent of AVV’s production is red wine. Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon constitute roughly half of total production. Other varietals include Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Gewurztraminer, Syrah, Sangiovese, Viognier, and Cabernet Franc.2009 Alexander Valley Vineyards CyrusWine Data
Appellation: Alexander Valley
Grape Varietal: 57% Cabernet Sauvignon; 26% Cabernet Franc; 11% Merlot; 3% Petite Verdot; 3% Malbec
Barrel Regimen: Aged for 26 months in French and American oak, 30% new
Cases Produced: 3200
Release Date: 3/15/2013
Alcohol (by volume): 14.0%Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyAlexander Valley Alexander Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
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