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Dream Big - Discover California Wine Tasting
Stockholm, Gamla Riksarkivet (old government archives building) March 2019
Tasted March 24, 2019 by Omar Khayyam with 431 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.
White
2017 Birichino Malvasia Bianca
Very aromatic, good fruit intensity, has a fleshy body, not very high acidity, but does not need it either to express all this complex loveliness. Probably my favorite wine in their line up. Recommended.
Red
2013 Birichino Pinot Noir Lilo Vineyard
Sweet pilosity, some herbal or stemmy notes but also more structure than entry level pinot. Recommended.
Red
2017 Birichino Scylla
Carignan. 13 % ABV. Very fine and lovely complexity on the nose. balanced but more of drink now wine I think. Recommended.
Red
2016 Birichino Grenache Old Vines Besson Vineyard
Sweet Grenache fruit of raspberry and strawberry. It's the most fruity wine in the line up and has a lot of intensity. Good freshness.
Red
2016 Birichino Zinfandel Saint Georges Old Vines
13.5 % ABV. Zinfandel. Fresh, clean aromatic and pure fruit. I prefer this every day of the week over the Lodi zinfandel wines we tried at the Lodi event at this Discover Cali wines event in Stockholm. recommended
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.
White
2016 Lioco Chardonnay Chuy Vineyard
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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Red
2016 Lioco Carignane Sativa
13.2 % ABV. Carignan. Wild, juicy, herbal, very fine fruit and so elegant. Long on the palate. Saliva inducing palate. Recommended.
Red
2016 Lioco Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard
Fresh and fine, very high pinosity. Much more elegant than the Laguna PN 2015 tried side by side. Recommended.
Red
2015 Lioco Pinot Noir Laguna
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.
Red
2016 Lioco Valdiguié
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.
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.
Red
2015 K Vintners Syrah The Deal Sundance Vineyard
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.
Red
2015 K Vintners Malbec Broncho Stoneridge Vineyard
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.
Red
2016 Substance Cabernet Sauvignon
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.
White
2017 Twomey Sauvignon Blanc
Big creamy expression of Sauvignon Blanc, but with decent acidity. Luxurious in its expression.
Red
2016 Twomey Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
Soft big RRV modern style Pinot Noir. Fine in its style, but very far from elegant Burgundy.
Red
2014 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
So interesting to taste the Alexander Valley and Napa Valley Silver Oak cabernets side by side. Terroir matters! Cassis and oak. Simple but good.
Red
2014 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
So complex and excellent nose on this. Soft attack. Fina grained tannins. Great point of balance. Worth the price. Highly recommended.
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.
White
2018 Long Meadow Ranch Sauvignon Blanc
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.
White
2016 Long Meadow Ranch Chardonnay
Fine and very elegant chardonnay from Anderson Valley fruit. recommended.
Red
2016 Long Meadow Ranch Pinot Noir
Anderson Valley PN. Good pilosity, very good freshness and balance between fruit and acidity. Recommended.
Red
2015 Long Meadow Ranch Merlot
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.
Red
2014 Long Meadow Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
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.
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.
White
2017 Ridge Chardonnay Estate
Fruity, has some oak but less noticeable than on the Monte Bello Chardonnay, light and fresh. Recommended.
White
2016 Ridge Chardonnay Monte Bello
Lovely full on complex, luxuriously oaked but so balanced and just a great California chardonnay. Highly Recommended.
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Red
2016 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
Good classic cabernet nose, quite chewy on the palate, but not a heavy body, very good structure. Recommended.
Red
2016 Ridge Monte Bello
Just perfect cab with graphite, fresh pipe tobacco, lots of fruit. Needs cellaring. Highly Recommended.
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Red
2017 Ridge Zinfandel East Bench
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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Red
2017 Ridge Lytton Springs
More structured, dark berries, some bitter on the finish. Needs serious cellar time. I preferred the Geyserville and the east Bench Zinfandel.
Red
2017 Ridge Geyserville
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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Red
2017 Ridge Petite Sirah Lytton Estate
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.
White
2016 Rhys Alesia Chardonnay Anderson Valley
Lots of green apples some red apples and some grilled lemon. Fresh and fine. Highly recommended. Showing better than the Horseshoe chardonnay, although its evident that the Horseshoe chard is the wine to cellar for longer time. Highly Recommended.
White
2014 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard
Very tight now, some tropical fruit, elegant, very fine. Recommended. Has great potential for even higher rating.
Red
2016 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Anderson Valley
Has a darker more brooding nose than the Santa Cruz with some licorice and lots of pinosity, but lighter on the palate than the Santa Cruz. Recommended.
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Red
2016 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains
great pinosity, a little more material and mor structure than the Alesia Anderson Valley PN. Step up to Bearwallow is not that great, and I mean that in a positive way :) Recommended.
Red
2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Bearwallow Vineyard
Showing extremely well at this tasting. Dark berries, good fruit, elegant and yet structured. Highly Recommended.
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Red
2014 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard
Not yet ready to drink, this is tight and grippy and structured but with a Burgundian lightness to it. This I am sure will be great in say ten to fifteen years. Lots of potential but nothing to pop a this juncture.
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Flight 8 - Various Napa wineries (9 notes)
Red
2016 Truchard Pinot Noir
Soft and berry driven, lots of sweet pinosity. very charming. recommended.
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White
2017 Silenus Winery Chardonnay
Oaked and heavy body, bitter from the overdose of new oak. ok acidity.
Red
2015 Silenus Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
They were pouring both the 2015 Estate and the 2014 Estate Reserve, my notes seem a bit mixed up, but there was a great leap in quality up from the rather mediocre chardonnay and Merlot. Both cabs were great, quite big and Napa style without doubt but lovely. Recommended.
White
2015 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
Heavy piece compared to the Rhys chardonnays tasted at the same table. Very much in the oaked and creamy style, but good acidity so still rather balanced, just a bigger and more fruity and oaked chard.
Red
2015 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Big Napa cab with lots of oak, alcohol and rather clumsy at the very finish. Not to mistake for the estate cab, which I know from visiting is much better. Bitter finish from alcohol and oak.
Red
2013 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Cabernet Franc Carneros
Fruit forward, but still, there are quite some pyrazines, as well as sweet tobacco palate. Not my style of cab franc.
Red
2012 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Pinot Noir
Simple, oak bitter, lots of sweet fruit. It's ok but in a big cali pinot noir style.
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.
White
2016 AmByth Estate Decorus
Amphora wine, 12.5 % ABV. Viognier and Grenache Blanc. Herbal, spicy, but not to bitter or heavy from the skin contact. Fresh and dry and lovely. Highly recommended.
White
2016 AmByth Estate Grenache Blanc Amphora
Much more structure, orange wine style, heavily macerated but still fresh and elegant. Highly Recommended.
Red
2012 AmByth Estate ReVera
Juicy, natural wine making, dry but with a body, much more serious red wine than the counoise and the sangiovese. Recommended.
Red
2013 AmByth Estate Sangiovese
Lingonberry, quite dry and drying tannins, extremely acidic. Very fine but a bit simple.
Red
2013 AmByth Estate Counoise
juicy natural wine fresh unbaked style, Quite a relief compared to all the Lodi zinfandel, more fun than great but elegant.
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.
White
White
2016 Calera Chardonnay Mount Harlan
Really fine, still in the softer, more creamy chardonnay style. But has definitely more substance to work with than the central coast entry level chardonnay. recommended.
White
2016 Calera Viognier Mount Harlan
Very green and acidic, a little thin. Guessing this was picked early for freshness.
Red
2016 Calera Pinot Noir Central Coast
Good. You get a lot of pinosity bang for your buck here. Some oak bitter on the finish but it's nothing to disturbing. Good fruit. Recommended.
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Red
2015 Calera Pinot Noir de Villiers Vineyard
Lots of pinosity, spicy, licorice, darker fruit. Very open for business. Recommended.
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Red
2015 Calera Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard
Fine, elegant, structured dark and with good fruit intensity. Recommended.
Red
2014 Calera Pinot Noir Ryan Vineyard
Stemmy, dark, tight, tannic. Grippy. Needs to unravel in a cellar for ten years.
Flight 11 - Mettler (3 notes)
Red
2016 Mettler Family Vineyards Zinfandel Old Vine Epicenter
lovely complex zinfandel nose, the sweet and sour classic zinfandel palate does not follow up entirely on the promise of the nose. but this is one of the better Lodi wines I tried at least. Recommended if you like big zin.
Red
2016 Mettler Family Vineyards Petite Sirah
soft attack ,fat heavy bod, lots of structure, sweet blackberry jam, black plums slightly on the over ripe side.
Flight 12 - Schramsberg (2 notes)
White - Sparkling
2015 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs
Fruity, quite hard and energetic mousse. I'd say this needs to rest in a cellar for a few years. Has potential.
White - Sparkling
2014 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Noirs Brut
Lovely nose, with some toast and complexity. red berries and apple. Still quite tight and hard mousse. needs more years in the cellar. recommended.
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.
Red
2017 Littorai Pinot Noir Les Larmes
Very well structured Les LArmes with dark berry attitude, like a better Nuits-Saint-Georges villages. Recommended.
Red
2016 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Tanbark Hill
Very fine and complex nose already, soft attack on the palate but with very good acidity and a classic bordeaux nose. Highly recommended.
Red
2014 Carlisle Zinfandel Dupratt Vineyard
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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Red
2016 Buccella Cabernet Sauvignon
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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Comments (2)
Flight 14 - Martin Ray (2 notes)
Not so much fun.
White
2017 Martin Ray Chardonnay Sonoma County
Ok chardonnay. Oaky. Spicy. Nice enough, classic cali chard.
Red
Flight 15 - Pine Ridge (2 notes)
Classic Napa.
White
2016 Pine Ridge Vineyards Chardonnay Carneros Collines Vineyard
Fine cali chard with lots of oak, quite luxurious nose, but heavy body. Very good in its style.
Red
2015 Pine Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Jammy, sweet&sour, soft palate. Good for its style.