Dream Big - Discover California Wine Tasting

Stockholm, Gamla Riksarkivet (old government archives building) March 2019
Tasted Sunday, March 24, 2019 by Omar Khayyam with 432 views

Introduction

A very well organized event where I tried to focus on sampling the whole range from a few producers, instead of cherry-picking. Started off with a seminar on Lodi wines that was very well done and interesting.

Flight 1 - Birichino (5 Notes)

Cool to taste with the two winemakers instead of a Swedish importer. I like their wines, even if I rarely buy them. Lighter, more New California in style.

Flight 2 - Lioco (6 Notes)

Lioco is very good, and a producer I have bought and sampled quite a bit from in the past, but there’s a really big step up in quality from entry level wines to the single vineyard precious items like the delish Chardonnay from Chuy Vineyard.

  • 2016 Lioco Chardonnay

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    Soft and creamy but pure chardonnay fruit and nice enough.

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  • 2016 Lioco Chardonnay Chuy Vineyard

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    Lovely hybrid between apple lemony crisp chardonnay expression and hazelnut, creamy luxuriously oaked chardonnay. Highly recommended and quite a big step up from the normal Sonoma county chardonnay from the same producer.

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  • 2016 Lioco Carignane Sativa

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

    13.2 % ABV. Carignan. Wild, juicy, herbal, very fine fruit and so elegant. Long on the palate. Saliva inducing palate. Recommended.

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  • 2016 Lioco Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Fresh and fine, very high pinosity. Much more elegant than the Laguna PN 2015 tried side by side. Recommended.

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  • 2015 Lioco Pinot Noir Laguna

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Darkfruited new world Pinot noir. Sweet fruit on the palate. softer than the Cerise 2016. Decent but perhaps a bit pricy for what you get.

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  • 2016 Lioco Valdiguié

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

    Juicy, fine, simple expression but so good and with so much energy. Lots of dark fruits and berries on the nose, but fresh, lithe and blissfully easy to drink on the palate. Hipster wine par excellence. Recommended.

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Flight 3 - K Vintners (3 Notes)

Modern fruit forward but also delicious if you’re not afraid of softly textured oaked and fruity wines - they have a good point of balance and will do real well with grilled meats. Very good trio.

  • 2015 K Vintners Syrah The Deal Sundance Vineyard

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Wahluke Slope

    Soft palate, sweet Syrah fruit akin to forward shiraz, very dense and structured. Has clear potential if you like forward wines, but needs to rest for several years I think.

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  • 2015 K Vintners Malbec Broncho Stoneridge Vineyard

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

    Spicy, dark berried, a little simple on the palate, soft expression which would make it hard to guess Malbec in a blind tasting I guess, but fine and really well made. If you like big wines with sweet fruit in the softer style, this is a really good wine, just like the K Vintners Syrah Sundance the Deal 2015 that we tried side by side.

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  • 2016 Substance Cabernet Sauvignon

    USA, Washington

    My favorite among the trio of Charles Smith K Vintner line up tried. Much more freshness and purity of fruit, good structure, feels like it has also been exposed to less new oak, or just has more fruit material that can eat through the oak, which is present but nicely done. Recommended. But should see some cellar time.

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Flight 4 - Twomey and Silver Oak (5 Notes)

Twomey did not interest me so much. But the Silver Oak Napa Cab stands tall... and what a difference between that wine and its cousin from Alexander Valley that still retails for 70% of the Napa version.

Flight 5 - Long Meadow Ranch (5 Notes)

New acquaintance for me and what a very positive vibe these wines send out! I will look for these gems that showcase a subtle and classic elegance, rather than opulence.

  • 2018 Long Meadow Ranch Sauvignon Blanc

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    fine, aromatic sauvignon blanc that is much more elegant and toned down both in terms of oak and tropical fruit compared to the Twomey Sauvignon Blanc from Napa tasted at same event. A little short finish. early drinker.

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  • 2016 Long Meadow Ranch Chardonnay

    USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena

    Fine and very elegant chardonnay from Anderson Valley fruit. recommended.

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  • 2016 Long Meadow Ranch Pinot Noir

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Anderson Valley PN. Good pilosity, very good freshness and balance between fruit and acidity. Recommended.

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  • 2015 Long Meadow Ranch Merlot

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    Peppery, elegant, intense fruit, great balance. Will go for many years to come but lovely already. Half of which comes from Rutherford and the other half from Mayacamas. I really liked this and once again, so much better than the Twomey Merlot tasted earlier at same event. Highly Recommended.

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  • 2014 Long Meadow Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    One of the most elegant and claret like Napa Cabs I tried at this event. Fine fruit, elegant expression, luxurious oak but not prominently forward in style. Long finish. For the cellar but great now also. Highly Recommended.

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Flight 6 - Ridge (8 Notes)

Ridge is Ridge and it was fun to taste through the coming line up. I have visited this winery in the past and have a sweet spot for their wines.

  • 2017 Ridge Chardonnay Estate

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Fruity, has some oak but less noticeable than on the Monte Bello Chardonnay, light and fresh. Recommended.

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  • 2016 Ridge Chardonnay Monte Bello

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Lovely full on complex, luxuriously oaked but so balanced and just a great California chardonnay. Highly Recommended.

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  • 2016 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Good classic cabernet nose, quite chewy on the palate, but not a heavy body, very good structure. Recommended.

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  • 2016 Ridge Monte Bello

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Just perfect cab with graphite, fresh pipe tobacco, lots of fruit. Needs cellaring. Highly Recommended.

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  • 2017 Ridge Zinfandel East Bench

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    Very fresh and fruity with red and dark berries, a very likable wine and I have a hard time to see how the heavily oaked and jammy Lodi single vineyard zinfandels can compete with this. Recommended.

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  • 2017 Ridge Lytton Springs

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    More structured, dark berries, some bitter on the finish. Needs serious cellar time. I preferred the Geyserville and the east Bench Zinfandel.

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  • 2017 Ridge Geyserville

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley

    soft attack, very generous and open with good fruit. But not without grip and freshness. recommended. Better than the Lytton Springs this vintage. Difference between the two I think is that both have about 70 % zinfandel but whereas the Geyserville has more carignan than petite sirah, the Lytton springs has more Petite Sirah than carignan.

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  • 2017 Ridge Petite Sirah Lytton Estate

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Dry Creek Valley

    The most dark and intense of the ridge reds, heavily structured. Needs cellaring - and a steak! Recommended if you like big wines and steak.

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Flight 7 - Rhys (6 Notes)

Oh my what high class for second tier wines - Alesia. Horseshoe Chardonnay and Alpine Pinot have a long and beautiful future awaiting them, but for now the Bearwallow Pinot Noir 2014 and the Alesia Anderson Valley Chardonnay 2016 shone the brightest.

Flight 8 - Various Napa wineries (9 Notes)

Flight 9 - AmByth (5 Notes)

I have been dying to try and was not disappointed. The whites showed better than the reds currently, and this was all natural wine hipster stuff. Funny how these guys were placed next to some Lodi Zinfandel oak merchants.

Flight 10 - Calera (7 Notes)

Not disappointed but also not overly enthusiastic. For the price point this is good quality. not sure I will seek these out though.

Flight 11 - Mettler (3 Notes)

Flight 12 - Schramsberg (2 Notes)

Flight 13 - Quartet of high quality wines (4 Notes)

Four of my favorite wines from the tasting. Can’t go wrong with these. But also, they are at a slightly higher price point than much else that was presented.

  • 2017 Littorai Pinot Noir Les Larmes

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    Very well structured Les LArmes with dark berry attitude, like a better Nuits-Saint-Georges villages. Recommended.

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  • 2016 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Tanbark Hill

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District

    Very fine and complex nose already, soft attack on the palate but with very good acidity and a classic bordeaux nose. Highly recommended.

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  • 2014 Carlisle Zinfandel Dupratt Vineyard

    USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino Ridge

    This is then the Zinfandel to shame all the other zinfandels showed at the tasting. So lovely and complex without all the cloying sweetness and heavy body. Great now and greater still in ten years time. Highly Recommended.

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  • 2016 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    AAAARRGHH. The one table I had my mind set on and by the time I got there, all the wine was finished, except for the 2016 Cab, which was so nice. Really lovely and a perfect example of when the Napa fruit shows it's really world class. Complex, for sure this is a big wine, but beautifully balanced and drinkable already now. I think this could go for twenty years and be even better. Highly Recommended.

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Flight 14 - Martin Ray (2 Notes)

Not so much fun.

Flight 15 - Pine Ridge (2 Notes)

Classic Napa.

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