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Winery Tastings, Napa, May 2012
Coombsville, Howell Mountain, Moss Creek, Calistoga, Spring Mountain, Rutherford, Pritchard Hill
Tasted May 17, 2012 - May 20, 2012 by prettydeceextrap with 1,257 views
Introduction
Letter grade only; no numerical score due to bias of tasting at winery with wine maker and due to number of wines sampled per day.
Flight 1 - Thursday, 5/17 (19 notes)
Started in Coombsville at Black Cat, then down the road to Whetstone; All the way over the hill to Clark-Claudon Vineyard; finished valley floor at Allora.
My Top 3 wines (no order): Black Cat Coombsville Cab, Whetstone Pinot Bella Vigna, Clark-Claudon Cabernet
Red
2009 Black Cat Vineyard Family Cuvee
(B) Very nice blend, which she intended to be a pasta wine. Rich nose, and a nice structure. A touch light in comparison to the color and mouthfeel, but nice berry mix and background spice.
Red
2009 Black Cat Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
(B+) Nice Rutherford character, with some tannin still obvious. Nice cherry fruits and a long finish. Even ten minutes of air helped it a lot. Nice finesse on the palate.
Red
2008 Black Cat Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Coombsville
(A) Beautiful wine. Front palate is a bit sharp but evolves front front to back. A nice cherry cola sensation bounces off the roof of the mouth, with a little bit of complicated root spice in the background. Tons going on. Lots of side and mid palate but also finishes forever. Drinks great now, likely even better with a few years.
Red
2009 Black Cat Vineyard Syrah
(B-) Gigantic; in fact a bit too big for me. Not hot at all actually, just incredibly fruited. Dark color. Explodes on the palate. Acidic and tannic at the same time.
White
2010 Whetstone Wine Cellars Chardonnay El Pajaro Carneros
(A) Amazing chard. Tropical and creamy together. Pears, apples, nuts, and a bit floral. Complex and well integrated. Warmed to a more toasted sugar note.
Red
2010 Whetstone Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Pleasant Hill Vineyard
(B) Nice RR character. Some light fruited tones, even citrus fruits. Sweet red berries. The nose is cutting and narrow, but appealing.
Red
2008 Whetstone Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Bella Vigna Vineyard
(A) Beautiful oaked pinot. Subtly fermented wild strawberries and flower petals, cedar, vanilla, wet dirt. Lingering and memorable finish. A joy to drink now, and I can't tell where this will be in 4-5 years.
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Red
2009 Whetstone Wine Cellars Syrah Phoenix Ranch
(B) Deep ripe fruits, with blueberry and boysenberry mixed with smoky fat. Also a bit too rich for me. Not as thick as it smells. Rather tannic and tough to access.
White
2011 Clark-Claudon Sauvignon Blanc Wild Iris
(B-) Crisp yet creamy. Honey with a bit of perfume. A bit more sugary as it warms. Typical grapefruits and tropical nature as well.
Red
2008 Clark-Claudon Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown
(A) A wow wine with both power and subtlety. Wonderful cab fruits with hillside structure - both red and blue are in there, with a certain spice box/tobacco/coffee element. There is already a second layer of liquor, root beer notes, and wild vines. Evolved constantly while tasting and finished forever. Eye-opening.
White
2010 Haber Family Vineyards Chardonnay Old Vine
(C) Not my style of chard, as this seems to have gotten quite a bit of oak and ML. Butter, popcorn, and fatty structure. If you like this style, the fruit is good.
Red
2008 Haber Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain
(A-) Drank from bottle opened the day before. A bit more tart fruit than the Howell, with a different soil character. Tannins a bit more obvious. Red and blue fruit, with nice cooling spices. Great wine.
Red
2008 Haber Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
(A) Drank from bottle opened the day before. Robust, dark fruits with underlying heavy mineral character. Tannins present, but smooth. Masculine and powerful yet with a wonderful complexity. Excellent.
Red
2008 Allora Vineyards Cielo
(B) Interesting blend, with red fruits and a nice dark color. Some underlying sweet wood character.
Red
2008 Allora Vineyards Cabernet Franc
(B+) Very fruity cab franc, and not over-extracted like many in Napa. Refreshing from a stylistic perspective, with cool cutting tannins and nice fruit.
Red
2008 Allora Vineyards Petite Sirah
(B-) The muscle wasn't there, but there was an interesting sweet black fruit character. Still tannic, and hard to access.
Red
2008 Allora Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Tresca
I think the bottle was flawed, as there was a sweet, wet-wood character I couldn't shake. Couldn't pick out the fruit or the structure around it. Try again to assess.
Red
2008 Allora Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Lusso
(B) Nice red fruits and some dusty tannins. Trace of plums sneaks in with some greenery. Somehow not together.
Red - Fortified
2010 Allora Vineyards Sassurro St. Helena Estate Grown
(A-) Very nice and well crafted. Brandy and cinnamon character round out the fruit.
Flight 2 - Friday, 5/18 (24 notes)
Started way over the ridge at Moss Creek, then back through Sage Canyon to Calistoga for Arietta and Venge. Finished with Mike Smith at the Carter/Envy facility.
My Top 3 wines (no order): Myriad Dr. Crane, Carter To-Kalon, Venge Family Reserve
White
2010 Moss Creek Sauvignon Blanc
(B+) Cool, crisp, and refreshing. Pineapples, mango, citrus, and a bit of hay. Drinks very smooth, yet still nicely drying.
Red
2001 Moss Creek Zinfandel
(A) Still full and ripe. Wonderful liquor element and baking spices. Incredibly smooth. Very intriguing example of mid-aged zinfandel.
Red
2007 Moss Creek Cabernet Franc
(B) From barrel. Cool red fruits and light minerality. Steel and floral elements, along with red fruits and some oak in the background. Not the typical Napa expression profile, but a bit more true to the varietal.
Red
2005 Moss Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
(A-) From barrel. Cocoa, powdery tannin, cinnamon, and cherry. Seductive nose. Flavors slowly warm on the palate and finish strong. Still tannic and acidic, and waiting to express itself.
Red
2006 Moss Creek Petite Sirah
(A) From barrel. Wow. Muscular and powerful, yet long and complicated. Mixed black and blue fruit, expansive tannin, and perfect wood structure. Amazing now, very intrigued with where this will go once bottled.
Red
2007 Moss Creek Zinfandel
(B) From barrel. Interesting comparison to his aged zins. Sharper, fruitier, without the secondary liquor. Still nice, but pales in comparison to what this will likely be in a few years.
Red
2005 Moss Creek Merlot
(B) From barrel. Smooth red fruits. A big nose that doesn't yet follow through on the palate. Nice silky tannins, acid not there, but still nice structure.
Red
2007 Moss Creek Syrah
(B+) From barrel. Big, yet not overextracted. Nice sweet fruits and a bit of underlying wet rocks and spice.
Red
2009 Moss Creek Sangiovese
(A-) From barrel. Light, yet nicely fruit forward. A little bit of burnt sugar in there. Some cookie elements. Changes rapidly with air. Very enjoyable.
Red - Fortified
2001 Moss Creek Zinfandel Port
(A) From barrel. Amazing. The brandy character is incredible, and the port drinks perfectly. Sweet red fruit, a bit of caramel, nice toffee and warm spices. Awesomely complex.
Red
2008 Arietta Quartet
(B+) Smooth and silky. A bit of tart fruit peeks through pretty big blue fruit. Nice leathery finish.
Red
2008 Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon
(A-) A wonderful cabernet, even if rather overpriced. Nice secondary level already present. Blue and red fruits mixed together, with cocoa, cream, and a bit of allspice. Spice and leather on the back palate. Nice lush finish with silky tannins.
Red
2008 Arietta Red Wine H Block Hudson Vineyards
(A-) Still too tannic and walled off to truly assess. Lots of structure. Cutting fruits. Tons of backbone. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.
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Red
2008 Arietta Variation One
(B) A bit ripe, but lots of complexity to tie it all together. Big fruit, big wood, big finish, but somehow not as refined as the rest of their lineup.
White
2011 Venge Vineyards Spettro
(A-) An interesting blend, with a good balance of the supple chard with some sharper fruits. Finishes clean. It warms to a nice brown sugar and flower water finish.
Red
2010 Venge Vineyards Sangiovese Penny Lane Vineyard
(B-) Lighter than prior vintages. A bit muted, maybe needs some time.
Red
2010 Venge Vineyards Scout's Honor
(B) Syrupy and fairly hot. Nice flavors, and will surely be a crowd pleaser.
Red
2009 Venge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Family Reserve
(A) Excellent wine. Melange of fruit with underlying cinnamon and cigar humidor elements. Creamy. The back end resolves to a peppery, leather finish. Two minute finish. Very nuanced and complex.
Red
2009 Carter Cellars Hossfeld Coliseum
(B+) Nice red fruits, touch of arugula flower spice, and a little cooling fruit. Not quite together.
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Red
2010 Quivet Cellars Syrah Hulda Block Las Madres Vineyard
(B) I prefer the Myriad las madres syrahs, but this has nice fruit elements. I'm missing the viney complexity and the cold-rock finish.
Red
2010 Quivet Cellars Syrah Kenefick Ranch
(A-) Now that's a syrah. Big and powerful, yet not syrupy and flabby like so many others in Napa. An interesting minerality and powdery kick in the background highlights the dark fruit.
White
2011 Myriad Cellars Sémillon "Extended Elevage" McGah Family Vineyard
(A) From barrel. Creamy and sharp at the same time. A nice caramel complexity with wet grass and dried apricot. Biscotti. Lovely wine.
Red
2010 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard
(A+) From barrel. Wow. Incredible wine. Concentrated yet long, masculine yet feminine, expansive yet focused. Amazing root beer spice pops off the back palate and mingles with the resolving blue fruits from the front. Nice acid. Forever finish.
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Red
2010 Carter Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon The Grand Daddy Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
(A) From barrel. Wow again. Giant nose which is followed by amazing mingled red and black fruit, vanilla, cream, leather, and cocoa powder. Tannins still need resolution.
Flight 3 - Saturday, 5/19 (20 notes)
Started at School House on Spring Mountain, then up to the trailers at Behrens/Erna Schein and Relic; Across the valley to Mansfield; finished at Rubicon/Inglenook.
My Top 3 wines (no order): School House Pinot, Erna Schein Crowley Cab, Rubicon
White
2009 School House Chardonnay
(B+) Very clean flavor profile, with citrus and stone fruit. Touch of sugar but you don't get an ML impression. Subtle grassy background.
Red
2008 School House Pinot Noir
(A) Love the earthy character on this wine. Nice spice and delicate structure. Very distinct Pinot.
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Red
2008 School House Mescolanza Zinfandel Blend
(A-) Perfect peppery character admixed with soft fruit and warm spices. A lovely viney quality underneath.
Red
2008 School House Mescolanza Syrah Blend
(B) Ripe and bit jammy. Red fruits. Nice ash and wood element. The vines are obviously younger than for their other wines. Will be interesting to watch this blend evolve
Red
2009 Behrens Family Winery Sainte Fumée
(B) Very ripe and a bit hot. Nice red/black fruit mix. Burnt chocolate element in the back. Big wine.
Red
2009 Erna Schein Cabernet Sauvignon Spare Me
(B) A little flabby. Blue fruits, just a touch of vanilla. Good structure ... maybe needs some years.
Red
2009 Erna Schein Cabernet Sauvignon Crowley Vineyard
(A-) Best wine of the lineup. Wonderful red fruits, with nice acidic structure. Tight, restrained, yet expansive on the palate. Lots of chocolate and well adjusted wood. Warming spices in the background. Very Spring Mountain.
Red
2009 Behrens Family Winery Labor of Love
(B+) Big wine. Lots of Pritchard Hill muscle, though without the femininity I get from other PH wines. Black fruits overpower the bit of red fruit in there. Vanilla. Vine spice. Nice wine.
Red
2008 Behrens & Hitchcock "The Heavyweight"
(B+) Blue fruits, oak, and a bit of fat. Glycerine on the palate ... there is acid, but I'm not sure it's enough to hold up to age. Very middle-back palate friendly.
Red
2009 Drinkward Peschon Cabernet Sauvignon Entre Deux Mères
(A-) Lovely wine. Smooth yet aggressive. The fruit is restrained - red plums, blackberry. Nice integration of acid backbone. Cooling spices are a welcome surprise.
Red
2009 Zeitgeist Cabernet Sauvignon
(B+) Sharp structure and a nice tannin/acid balance. Needs some years before doing its thing I think. A little too restrained now.
Red
2010 Relic Wines Ritual
(A-) A bit different than the last couple vintages, but still maintains the spicey intrigue. Nice "cool" Rhone style. Gets the whole palate. Begs for food.
Red
2010 Relic Wines Pinot Noir Kashaya
(B+) Cool-style pinot. Seeded fruit character that matches the subtle wood character. Nice spices, though not as up front as I remember in prior vintages.
Red
2009 Relic Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Artefact
(A-) Big hillside cab. I think this saw plenty of oak - the chocolate and vanilla presents itself up front. But the underlying structure has cinammon, cardamom, and is begging to be let out. Hopefully age relaxes the fruit a bit.
Red
2009 Relic Wines Petite Sirah Old Vines
(A-) Peppery, spicy, and expansive. Black fruits, black color. Heavy tannins at this point. Very nice viney-mustard green background spiciness. Needs time.
Red
2005 Mansfield Merlot
(A-) Very nice mid-aged example of hillside merlot. Matted purple color with a touch of change at the rim. Nose is highly expressive, with some vine characteristics mingling with red fruits, pie crust, and leather. The palate follows suit. Extremely smooth. Multilayered.
Red
2009 Inglenook Zinfandel Edizione Pennino
(B-) Syrupy, rich, highly extracted. Alcohol is a bit too much for me. The fruit is wonderful though, and this will surely be a popular BBQ wine.
Red
2009 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon Cask
(B+) Deep blue/red fruit mix. Lots of structure. Well balanced on the acids. Good toasted oak character.
Red
2008 Rubicon Estate Rubicon
(A) Excellent bordeaux blend. Just enough PV to give it that dark floral component. Wonderful earth and leather. Velvety back palate. Changes with air. Complex.
Flight 4 - Sunday, 5/20 (14 notes)
Started at Krupp Brothers/Stagecoach, then up into the Rutherford hills for Hall, and back down to Midsummer with Rollie.
My Top 3 wines (no order): Krupp Brothers Black Bart, Midsummer Clark-Claudon, Midsummer Canon Creek
White
2009 Krupp Brothers Estates Chardonnay
(B) Nicely styled chardonnay, but the fruit is a bit muted. Very nice structure and complexity in the background. Warm spice, caramel, and a little bit of flower petal. I think this will improve in a couple years.
Red
2008 Krupp Brothers Estates Syrah Black Bart Stagecoach Vineyard
(A-) Lovely syrah. They obviously were striving for a french style wine and they got it. Lovely underlying spice and flowers. Light syrah where you can actually taste the acidity rather than the alcohol. Well worth the price.
Red
2007 Veraison Synchrony Stagecoach Vineyard
(A-) Nice color. Lovely herbal elements underneath black fruits. Hints at extreme complexity. Cinnamon and some cream tucked deep in there.
Red
2007 Krupp Brothers Estates Cabernet Sauvignon Veraison Stagecoach Vineyard
(B+) Nice wine. Black fruits. Chocolate, mocha, anise. Very smooth already. Big yet refined.
White
2010 Hall Sauvignon Blanc T-Bar-T Ranch
(C+) Grapefruits, musk melon, honeydew. A tad syrupy, even when cold. Prominent perfume element.
Red
2006 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
(B+/A-) Drinking rather well. Blue fruits. Some leather. Tiny bit of mocha. The tannins are slightly granular and the side palate is starting to round out. Finishes strong.
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Red
2008 Hall Merlot Napa River Ranch
(A-) By far the best of Hall's lineup at this tasting. Nice granular earthy tannin supports red fruits with a subtle black fruit elements. Some olive-y and leathery elements. Wet clay. Lovely.
Red
2009 Hall Malbec Napa River Ranch
(D) Borderline undrinkable. Sharpie, glue, and a touch bitter. Bad bottle? At a tasting? Everyone else seemed to think it was OK.
Red
2009 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Ellie's
(B+) Very nice. Likely will get better with a few years in the bottle. Tasted Rutherford-ish to me, with chunky tannin and classic dust. Ash, cocoa, white chocolate.
Rosé
2011 Midsummer Cellars Grenache Rosé
(A-) Excellent rose with just the right amount of fruit depth. Sweet flowers, strawberry, melon. Nice cooling menthol element. Pale tobacco leaf. Lovely.
Red
2009 Midsummer Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cañon Creek
(A-) A well structured cabernet. Vanilla on the nose, as well as ripe fruit and dry hay. Lovely ripe front palate with brown sugar and warm spice. The fruit is dark and coats the side and back palate. Soft tannins make the finish linger. Very nice.
Red
2010 Midsummer Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cañon Creek
(A-) From barrel. Much like the 09, but with a bit more black fruit. Doesn't have the ripeness, but the fruit seems "tamer" and more accessible. Lots of soft tannin, just enough acid to keep it going. Nice.
Red
2009 Midsummer Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Tomasson Vineyard
(A-) Seeded fruit character with a lovely floral component on the nose. Like smelling berry-bushes. Tannins are a bit hard, and I look forward to them calming down. Red fruit, liquor element in the background, but still finishes very silky smooth.
Red
2009 Midsummer Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Clark-Claudon Vineyard
(A) A wow-wine. Dark fruit with cluster-fermentation type complexity, though I'm sure it wasn't. Dry flowers up front, cola element on the back palate. Complex cola spices marry with vanilla to create a palate-coating experience. Long finish. Fantastic.