Calaveras County Wine Tasting
The Twisted Oak Winery, and Murphys, CA.
Tasted Friday, July 4, 2008 by RajivAyyangar with 641 views
Introduction
Tasted with J. Avey. It was a hot, sunny day, and all the pourers were very friendly. All the pours were 1 oz, which made smelling a bit on the difficult side. A very different approach than at La Honda and Chaine d'Or, where the pours were quite generous - sometimes almost a full glass. Didn't see any spitters - even the pourers.
Flight 1 - Twisted Oak (at the winery and some at the Murphys tasting room) (11 Notes)
What a crazy winery! I love the humor and the obsession with rubber chickens!
Flight 2 - Hatcher (7 Notes)
Underground. A beautiful, cool tasting room. Lighting a little dim for proper tasting, but a very nice tasting bar nonetheless.
Flight 3 - Newsome Harlow (6 Notes)
The same winemaker as Twisted Oak, but smaller production. Very friendly pourer and a beautiful, well-lit tasting room. The easiest tasting room to concentrate in by far. Had chocolate instead of crackers, which I thought was a weird move.
Closing
I had a lot of problems with oxidation. I have yet to figure our whether oxidized wine sticks in my palate, causing false impressions in later wines, or if I just have a very low threshold for oxidization. The one wine that stands out in my memory is the extraordinarily simple, clean, and refreshing '07 Newsome Harlow sauv blanc. It really brightened my mood, and alone of all the wines, I had a hard time spitting it. In the "very good, and interesting" category are:
Twisted '06 Viognier
Twisted '05 Fuck
Twisted '05 Syrah
Newsome Harlow '05 Train Wreck (both cab and syrah show)
In the "nice, but lacking thunder" are:
Twisted '06 Verdelho (too light)
Twisted '04 Syrah (no nose)
Hatcher '05 Cab Franc (slightly oxidized nose)
'05 Sewell (nose)
2006 Twisted Oak Verdelho Silvaspoons Vineyard 83 Points
USA, California, Central Valley, Alta Mesa
Light color
papaya-, grass-, pineapple-, grapefruit--. Nice and clean on the nose.
great mp fruit. high acid. low+ sweetness. med-body. Nice! $16
Specs: (from the Geek Sheet):
RS[%]: 0.03
ALC: 13.4
BRIX: 23.4
TA[%]: .62
VA[%]: .041
pH: 3.31
100% steel, no oak.
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2006 Twisted Oak Viognier 84 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
Light straw in the glass.
delicious nose of rice, mango, pineapple, slight vanilla/cream.
med- alcohol, but med+ viscosity (love the oiliness of viognier!). Low+ sweetness. Fruit lingers on finish. Very nice and complex. Sweet for me. $22.
RS[%]: 0.04
ALC: 14.1
BRIX: 24.5
TA[%]: .58
VA[%]: .047
pH: 3.48
15% new fr oak, 85% neutral, 7months. (explains creamy secondary flavors. Malo?)
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2006 Twisted Oak %@#$! 79 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills
Known colloquially as "The Shit," this medium-straw-colored wine brought a blurred combination of tropical fruit on the nose. In the mouth it seriously lacked concentration and acidity. The midpalate was flabby and completely hollow- devoid of acid or fruit, though the finish was nicely acidic and clean. I did not think this wine was the shit. $24
RS[%]: 0.02
ALC: 13.6 - didn't seem hot, seemed soft.
BRIX: 23.7
TA[%]: .52 - didn't show up on midpalate at all.
VA[%]: .045
pH: 3.62 - high for a white, I think.
20% new fr oak, 80% neutral, 7months.
Marsanne, roussanne, rolle, viognier.
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2005 Twisted Oak Grenache 75 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
Medium garnet, tinged with purple in the glass, this Grenache had an uninspiring nose of rubber and plastic. In the palate it tasted vaguely oxidized, or at least tired. Light and watery in the mouth, it finished with grippy med tannins. Not fun. I retasted a few hours later at the Murphys tasting room, and this time percieved the nose as having more brown sugar and a little floral character. However there was still a weird smell that only registered as "chemical" in my mind. In the mouth, this time, it tasted off. $24
RS[%]: 0.02
ALC: 14.4
BRIX: 26.1
TA[%]: .54
VA[%]: .082
pH: 3.75
20% new fr oak, 11 months.
80:20 Grenache/Syrah
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2005 Twisted Oak *%#&@! 88 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills
This twisted wine, known colloquially as "The Fuck," was med+ garnet/purple in the glass. The nose was a duet of mellow brett and fruit - cherries and blackberries. In the mouth, this wine was light yet beautifully concentrated, with bright acidity and firm med- tannins. Cherries and strawberries shined through in the midpalate. My only complaint was that brett lingered the longest on the finish. Though I don't mind brett, that's not the way I want to finish a wine. This was the only wine I picked up from the Murphys trip, and I can't wait to try it with food! $24
RS[%]: 0.03
ALC: 14.1
BRIX: 25.1
TA[%]: .59
VA[%]: .073
pH: 3.62
20% new fr oak,20% 1-yr, 30% 2-yr. 11 months.
Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache
"Pairs and rhymes with duck!" - from the geek sheet. Gotta love this producer's sense of humor.
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2005 Twisted Oak Tempranillo 79 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine was oxidized the first time I tasted it. When I retasted it at the Murphys tasting room, I smelled faint brett on the nose, dominated by mustard and corn chips. Light in the mouth with a short finish and low+ tannins. I didn't get this wine at all. I hope I can taste it again sometime. $24
RS[%]: 0.02
ALC: 13.7
BRIX: 24.2
TA[%]: .51
VA[%]: .071
pH: 3.75
30% new amer, 10% new fr. 12 months.
90:10 Tempranillo/cab
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2006 Twisted Oak Grenache Torcido
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
This is a puzzling one. The pourer told me confidently that this wine won two gold medals, and that everyone loves it. Dark garnet/purple in the glass, this wine displayed a nose of fertilizer, bacon fat, and clear oxidization. At first I thought my palate was still hanging on to the tempranillo, though I rinsed my glass until it smelled clean. I retasted the Torcido several hours later in the Murphys tasting room. The nose was clearly oxidized here as well. Both pourers said the wine smelled and tasted as it always did, leading me to believe the entire batch suffered oxidization. I'm really perplexed and disappointed. $32, no geek sheet.
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2005 Twisted Oak Murgatroyd 81 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
Dark garnet/purple in the glass, this wine has a vegetal nose with hints of asparagus and Brett. In the mouth it is nice and extracted with med+ acid and low+ tannins. Ok. $24. No geek sheet.
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2004 Twisted Oak Syrah 84 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
Dark purple-garnet in the glass. Couldn't pick up anything on the nose. On the palate, some sweet, candied jalapenos (always love them!) and sour cherries. Med- tannins. Pretty good, but no nose.$24.
RS[%]: 0.02
ALC: 14.2
BRIX: 25.1
TA[%]: .57
VA[%]: .073
pH: 3.71
20% new Amer, 20% new hungarian. 60% 2-yr amer/hung. 19 months!
100% Syrah
Fermented with 20% of the berries uncrushed (just destemmed), then pressed after fermentation. Malo.
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2005 Twisted Oak Syrah Tanner Vineyard 85 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine has a nose of smoked ham with a little black pepper. Great flavor concentration in the mouth, med acid, low+ tannin. Nice and bright. $32. No geek sheet.
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2005 Twisted Oak Petite Sirah Calaveras County
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Calaveras County
Like the Torcido, this wine appeared oxidized both at the winery and at the Murphys tasting room. Again, both pourers said the wine tasted as it always does, leading me to believe the whole lot was oxidized. Puzzling. Maybe both were oxidized bottles, and the pourers just had high thresholds?
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