Cline Los Carneros Syrah 2006 Carneros

July 8, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek 5 Comments

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I opened another bottle from Cline last night. My stock of everyday wines has gotten low, so I’m raiding my nicer bottles. I have four vintages of this wine in my cellar. It was a stand-out for me on my last visit to the winery a few years back and I’ve been saving my club shipments of this wine ever since. I thought maybe I’d arrange a vertical tasting or something. But I wanted a nice bottle to go with my wife’s awesome eggplant parmesan, so I picked the current vintage (the 2006), saving the others for that hypothetical vertical and assuming I could replace the 2006 more easily.

So how was it? Let’s see…

Producer: Cline Cellars

Grapes: 100% Syrah

Appellation: Carneros (AVA, California) – from the Sonoma side of this AVA, which straddles the southern ends of the Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley AVAs.

Vineyard: Estate hillside vineyards with shallow clay and loam soils. Classic Carneros climate of foggy mornings, warm afternoons and cool evenings due to nearby San Pablo Bay. Photos here and here.

Aging: 12 months in French oak (30% new) with dark toast

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $28

My tasting notes: Near opaque color, with a muddy garnet at the rim. On the nose, I get plenty of vanilla oakiness and an interesting pine aroma that reminds me of Christmas. There is some red fruit, but it does not smell highly extracted, which is promising. In the mouth, it’s lovely. Plummy fruit with mineral and leather notes accented with very appealing oak. It has great weight and mouthfeel, smooth but with a bit of tannic grip. And it carries the alcohol much more gracefully than the Bridgehead Zin from last night. Really delicious stuff.

Assessment/score: I really like this. I’ve had a few vintages now and it has always impressed me. Highly recommended. A-

Free association: Not sure why exactly. Sleek but comfortable. Elegant. Smooth wood.

Price: Over 20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Cline Bridgehead Zinfandel 2006 Contra Costa County

July 5, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek 1 Comment

Cline_Bridgehead06_withgrill Yesterday was Independence Day (I wish people still called it that instead of “The Fourth”) and so that means I, like millions of others, BBQed. Pork shoulder smoked for 5 hours with a mix of Jack Daniels oak chips (made from used aging barrels) and applewood. Pulled the pork into tender shreds and put on a bun and dressed with sauce and coleslaw on top, Memphis-style.

It’s become cliche in wine circles, but BBQ and Independence Day means Zinfandel. While not a truly native grape varietal, nowhere else is Zinfandel as important, or historic — some of the oldest vines in America are Zinfandel. And I love the stuff. My second wine epiphany was a bottle of Bannister Zinfandel from the Rochioli vineyard (mid-90s vintage) that I had at Bistro Ralph in Healdsburg. That bottle made Zinfandel my favorite varietal and I’d say Zin has been the most common varietal in my wine history ever since.

Cline is also near and dear to my heart. On my first trip to wine country (the same trip where I had the Bannister), Cline was our first stop of the first day. Though I was still fairly new to wine, I was already geeking out. I was a proud disciple of the ABC crowd (anything but Chardonnay) and was avoiding Merlot well before Paul Giamatti told me to. So Cline was perfect for me. They focus on Rhone varietals and Zinfandels from old vines vineyards (geek heaven). I joined their club after that first visit and have been a regular drinker of their wines ever since.

Bridgehead is one of three single-vineyard Zins they produce, all from the Contra Costa County appellation east of San Francisco. While the county is generally very hot, these vineyard sites are cooled at night by the adjacent San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers. These are some of the oldest vineyards in California up to 120 years old.

Producer: Cline Cellars

Grapes: 100% Zinfandel

Appellation: Contra Costa County (AVA, California)


Note the very sandy soil in the photo below. It apparently keeps the phylloxera louse at bay. It also forces the vines to send roots very deep in the soil for nutrients. Many winemakers claim this leads to a greater sense of terroir in the wines.

Vineyard: Bridgehead vineyard; sandy soils, head-trained and dry-farmed

Aging: 11 months in oak (new & used, medium dark toast)

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: I believe this bottle retails for around $28. (I got it through the winery club.)

My tasting notes: Deep color. Strong chocolate aroma, more like a tootsie roll than actual chocolate. Also some mint. Sweet berry fruit in there as well. The alcohol is strong in the nose (a bit like paint thinner). Very extracted blackberry flavors on the palate with sweet tobacco and minerality. Good tannins and pleasant mouthfeel. While there are some interesting aromas and flavors in here, it somehow comes across a bit simplistic.

Assessment/Score: I think this could use some more time in bottle to maybe dial back the extracted fruit and let the other notes meld into something more nuanced. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the 2003, which wasn’t exactly nuanced, but had more “deliciousness”. BBQ may not have been the best match for this particular Zin. A thick, peppery steak probably better. I’d certainly drink this again, but won’t be stocking up. B-

Free association:

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Chateau Liversan Haut-Medoc 2005

July 2, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek 1 Comment

Producer: Chateau Liversan (Domaines Lapalu)

Grapes: 50% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc (that is according to the label; I find different %s in different places online)

Appellation: Haut-Medoc (AOC), France

Vineyard: 96 acres; gravel limestone on a chalk subsoil acts

Aging: 12 months in oak

Alcohol: 14%

Production: 20,830 cases

Price: I believe I paid around $15 at Costco.

Tasting Notes: Nice dark color. Nose starts off pretty tight. With time I pick up some blueberry, whiskey barrel and a definite lotion-y smell. (Not some fancy herb-infused botanical beeswax aromatherapeutic stuff, but basic Curel or something.) On the palate, it’s a little thin and angular for me. The tannins attack my tongue, almost sealing off my taste buds to prevent them from tasting any fruit that might be hiding in there. I pick up very little else; maybe some cranberry and some graphite. Finishes very dry.

Assessment/Score: Hmm. The nose is pretty cool once it opens up, but it’s just tight tight tight in the mouth. Definitely not “delicious”, but seems like it would do better with more time in bottle. For drinking right now, I have to go with C+.

Free association:

Wine Spectator (85 points): Mineral, blackberry and licorice aromas follow through to a medium body, with firm tannins and a medium finish. A bit simple on the palate, but pleasant. Best after 2010.

Lots of other tasting notes at Cellar Tracker.

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Shades of Africa 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon South Africa

June 30, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek 1 Comment

Shades of Africa I can’t really find anything about this wine online (and the label is no help either), so I won’t be doing a full post on this one. It’s a very young cab from South Africa — that’s all I know.

Nose is all over the place: chocolate milk one minute, wild berries the next, ashy, “thorny” according to my wife (I read that as sort of green and underbrushy), “grapey” according to my 3-year old. In the mouth it’s pretty rustic, with more funky overripe berries, meaty/gamey flavors and some drying tannins. Overall it’s pretty awkward and it tastes cheap (it was: $9), like if you ordered the house red at an Indian restaurant and they looked at you like “Really?”

Grade: C-/D+

Update: I looked back at the label and found a couple of things I missed before. First, it’s 14.0% a.b.v. Second, it’s from the Western Cape region within South Africa’s “Wine of Origin” system, which apparently is kind of a catch-all appellation that covers the majority of SA vineyards.

Also, I added the photo above. Why do these South African producers (see Sebeka) use such obvious “Africa” imagery in their label designs? You don’t see French producers putting white flags on their bottles. (Sorry – couldn’t resist the joke!)

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Finca El Portillo Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Mendoza

June 28, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek 5 Comments

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Producer: Bodegas Salentein

Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Appellation: Mendoza (Argentina), Valle de Uco

Vineyards: 100% estate vineyard Finca El Oasis. High elevation (3445 feet). Alluvial soils. Night harvested.

Aging: 100% stainless steel

Alcohol: 13.5%

Price: I paid $8.49

My tasting notes: The nose is steely, with citrusy aromas. The high elevation, night harvesting and stainless fermentation/aging all lead to a lively crispness in the mouth with good fruit that leans toward the tropical. It has nice, lengthy finish as well.

Score: This has the crispness that I want in an everyday white. Not complex enough to be much more than that. But what can you expect for less than 9 bucks? B-/C+

Free association: Makes me think of lemonade which makes me think of… “Lemonade – that cool refreshing drink” Eddie Murphy on Elvis Presley, from ‘Delirious’ (video)

Fun fact: The Valle de Uco is not named after a river, but a pre-Columbian Indian chief who introduced irrigation to the region. (from the World Atlas of Wine)

Finca El Portillo (photo by jaraya via Panoramio)

Price: 16-20 bucks, Tasting Notes

Kenwood Jack London Vineyard Zinfandel 2006

June 28, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek Leave a comment

Kenwood JackLondon Zin bottle I’ve really liked this wine in the past and saw it for a good price recently and picked it up. I’m always intrigued by single vineyard Zins (though I don’t think these are particularly old vines). Let’s see what this vintage is like.

Producer: Kenwood Vineyards

Grapes: 100% Zinfandel

Appellation: Sonoma Valley

Vineyard: Jack London Vineyard (on Sonoma Mountain with southeasterly exposure, red volcanic soil)

Aging: 18 months in French and American oak

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: I think I paid around $18

Production: 6,335 cases

My tasting notes: Right off the bat I’m noticing that the color is rather thin for a Zin. Hmm. Not what I expected. On the nose, I get sweet pipe tobacco accenting the red fruit cherry/berry aromas. I’m smelling the alcohol a bit too, which is worrying. In the mouth it feels pretty plush, which isn’t what I expected after seeing the color. Flavors are red fruit, like in the nose, but with an appealing note of fruit skin — like cherry or plum, or even peach maybe. There is a meatiness coming through as well.

Score: All in all, I enjoyed this wine. It took some time to open up — the second glass was much better than the first — but it came through in the end. Not a stop-the-presses value, but a nice bottle. B/B-

Free association: Amy Winehouse (thin and high in alcohol)

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Packaging: It’s a pretty cool-looking bottle. There is no paper label; the image and text is printed right on the bottle. The big wolf-head apparently was Jack London’s bookplate logo for many of his books, including the middle-school classic Call of the Wild. Also on the back there is a cool quote from Jack London writing about this very vineyard land in 1913:

“I ride over my beautiful ranch. Between my legs is a beautiful horse. The air is wine. The grapes on a score of rolling hills are red with autumn flame. Across Sonoma Mountain, wisps of sea fog are stealing. The afternoon sun smolders in the drowsy sky. I have everything to make me glad I am alive…”

Jack London Vineyards (Photo by Lance and Erin via Flickr)

Price: 11-15 bucks, Tasting Notes

Quinta do Valdoeiro 2005 Bairrada

June 25, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek Leave a comment

Portuguese red table wines are a fast-growing category. I’m drawn to them because of all the indigenous grape varieties that you don’t find elsewhere, like this bottle which is a blend of Baga (the most widely planted red grape in Bairrada) and Touriga Nacional. Both are small-berried varieties that produce high tannin levels.

Note: the specifications below are from the bottle labels, but it doesn’t all match up with what’s on the spec sheet from the producer’s website. Most notably, the spec sheet says there is Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend.

Producer: Vinhos Messias — Quinta do Valdoeiro Quinta do Valdoeiro 2005 Bairrada

Grapes: 50% Baga, 50% Touriga Nacional

Appellation: Bairrada (Portugal)

Vineyards: Clay soils

Aging: 6 months in French oak

Alcohol: 12.5%

Price: I paid $11.40 at Spec’s in Austin

My Tasting Notes: Good dark color. On the nose, I get lots of cherry and dark fruit notes with a good dose of sweet oak. A couple of times, I catch a Windex-like aroma, but it’s not persistent. It’s pretty juicy in the mouth with the cherry/berry elements carrying through and a bit of a green/herbal aspect sneaking in. Nice tannic grip at the end (those small, thick-skinned grape varieties) and a nicely lingering finish. With the dark fruit and the oak and the tannin, this wine acts a bit like a BIG wine, but it doesn’t feel big and heavy in the mouth. And at 12.5% with good acid, this makes a fine little wine for weeknight fare (like tonight’s stuffed bell peppers).

Grade: I’ll be buying more of this. B

Free association:

Price: 10 bucks or less, Tasting Notes

Evodia 2007 Old Vines Garnacha

June 22, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek Leave a comment

Old vines…ten bucks…Eric Solomon…you don’t have to twist my arm. Let’s get into it. Label_Evodia2007

Producer: Altavinum

Grapes: 100% Garnacha

Appellation: Calatayud (D.O.); Northeastern Spain

Vineyards: High altitude vineyards (2400-3000 feet) in the mountainous village of Atea. Pure slate soils. Old vines “planted up to 100 years ago.”

Aging: tank, no oak

Alcohol: 14.5%

Importer: Eric Solomon

Price: I paid $9.98 at Spec’s in Austin

My Tasting Notes: Deep plummy purple with a bit of fuchsia at the edges that seems common with Grenache. Unusual nose. Not a ton of fruit. I mostly pick up a strong maple syrup/antifreeze note. A little mint and stone. With more time in the glass I start to pick up raspberry. In the mouth it is medium-bodied and lively with mashed berry flavors. Maybe a little golden raisin. Very pure and clean. Very little tannins, but good minerality and acid provide structure. Nice, interesting little bottle for ten bucks. The minerality in this is what makes it a winner for me at this price point.

Grade: B

Free association:

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Don’t wait too long

June 19, 2009 Jim/VINEgeek Leave a comment

I bought this 1989 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame for a wedding gift, but decided to keep it after deciding it was too expensive of a gift (I paid around $125 as I recall). Saved it for years waiting for the right occasion. Finally opened it and… it was well past it’s prime. Sour and fruitless. Some interesting nuttiness, but not an enjoyable drink.

So deflating. One of the prizes of my cellar and I could hardly finish it.

Lesson: Err on the side of drinking early rather than late. If it’s too young and you really want to try it again in its prime, you can always find it and buy another bottle (though it may cost a pretty penny). But if it’s past its prime, no amount of money will allow you to drink it younger (unless you have a DeLorean and a flux capacitor).

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