Showing posts with label Conundrum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conundrum. Show all posts

Monday, March 30, 2020

Covid Shutin virtual dinner - Calera Ryan Vineyard - Jack's Masterpiece - Conundrum Red

Calera Ryan Vineyard - Jack's Masterpiece - Conundrum Red for another Coronavirus shut-in virtual family wine dinner

Tonight, we're continuing our COVID shut-in virtual family dinner and wine tastings, (and our original such event last weekend),virtual dinners and wine tastings across the family, sharing texts, photos and videos of our selections as we're all shut in due to the Coronavirus. As the Coronavirus shut-in enters week three, sons Ryan and Alec and daughter Erin joined us to conduct another virtual family dinner and wine tasting.

Daughter Erin joined in with texts and pictures of their family activities capped off by Richie's Journal setting the tone for the whole situation, and Lucy's art tribute to recently departed pets.


Son Ryan grilled filet steaks with evoo, garlic and rosemary, seared finished on the grill, and Michelle prepared twice baked potatoes and lemon vinagrette grilled asparagus. For their wine selection they selected Hall's Jack's Masterpiece Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an extraordinary wine from the Hall collection that was rated 99 points.

Hall's Jack's Masterpiece Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

This is a great virtual wine tasting selection since we have both visited the magnificent Hall Winery and hospitality center at their Rutherford Estate. Son Alec selected Hall's Excellenz from their super premium collection for special gifting to clients for the holiday a year ago.

We also hold bottles of Jack's Masterpiece, a fun wine and great selection for such an event since it is dedicated to Hall's former winemaker and current president, Mike Reynold's son Jack.  The wine is named for the label artwork created by Mike’s then 18-month-old son Jack as a Father’s Day gift.

Lastly, the vintage selected is also the birthyear of grandkids and cousins from both sides of the family, Marleigh and Richie.

This was awarded 99 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 95 points from Wine Spectator and 93 points from Vinous.

This is a premium blend, selected from the finest grapes from Hall's finest vineyards. All the pundits say it needs several years to shed its 'formidable tannic heft', and that it has three decades or more of longevity. 

From their reviews: "opaque purple color, opulent, full-bodied mouthfeel, deep, plush texture, dark, powerful and explosive, blueberry and blackberry fruits, blackberry jam, dark berry flavors, mocha-scented oak and notes of blackberry, licorice, hazelnut and brownie, espresso, chocolate, leather and super-sweet tannins.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2289051

https://www.hallwines.com/


Ryan's incredible grilled steaks
and asparagus


Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2011

Sharing our dinner and wine selections across the family over the internet, Linda and I selected a Calera Pinot Noir from Mt Harlan near Hollister in North Central California.

This is a single vineyard designated wine from the Ryan Vineyard. Part of our reason for selecting this wine was the whimsical fun that is it shares the name of Ryan our oldest son. 

For casual pleasurable sipping with cheese, dried fruits and chocolates we opened a Pinot Noir, a lighter wine for such an occasion. Readers of this blog know we don't do a lot of Pinots, opting instead for bigger, bolder, more fruit forward wines. There are occasions when a lighter, more subtle wine is more suitable and Pinot Noir, the wine of Burgundy is ideal. Such wines are not simpler however and can often be equally complex and even elegant.

Our cellar is full of labels selected as signature labels for a family member or friend due to Vineyard names, special bottlings, or logos on the bottle as remembrances or tributes to someone special. These selections are in addition to our penchant for collecting wines from birth year and anniversary and special occasion year vintages as well.
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Add to all this exuberance the selection of the producer Calera Vineyards and its founder winemaker Josh Jenson who is the epitome of Pinot Noir in California, or perhaps America.

As featured previously in this blog, Josh Jensen and his legendary Calera Vineyards were featured in Marq Devillier's wonderful 1994 book - "The Heartbreak Grape: A California Winemaker's Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir". The story tells the tale of Josh's quest to grow the very finnicky Pinot Noir grape in California in the early days before Pinot was cultivated here. In pursuit of his dream to create authentic Burgundian style wines, he sought to find the place in California suitable to achieve that goal. 

Devillers tells of Jenson's quest and research to find the right terrior - all the attributes of the right location, soil, climate, drainage, and other nuances of 'place' that make up the character and personality of a wine from grapes of a particular site. Josh chose Mt. Harlan, an area not then know for grapes or winemaking. 

The rest, as they say, is history. While it is a human interest tale, it also provides a rich insight into the challenges and travails of setting up a winery, and a business, and achieving one's dream to make noteworthy wines. 

Calera’s Mt. Harlan Vineyards are located in Hollister, California, in the Gavilan Mountains, 25 miles east of the Monterey Bay. The site was chosen for its limestone soils and ideal climate. At an average elevation of 2,200 feet it is among the highest and coolest vineyard sites in California.

Calera Pinot Noirs are single vineyard designated meaning they are each named for and produced from fruit sourced from one vineyard each. Their five vineyards planted in Pinot Noir are named for Josh's father (Jenson), Mills, a neighbor who mentored Josh in his early years, Reed, for one of Josh's dear friends and early investors, and in this case Selleck, for a family friend whom Josh attributes to introducing him to wine.

In 2002, the Ryan label appeared, named for Calera's vineyard manager since 1979. We've had fun with this wine collecting it for our #1 Ryan, serving it in celebration of his wedding a few years ago, and holding it in our cellar for special Ryan oriented occasions, or just fun occasions shared together such as tonight!

The Calera vineyards are enumerated and featured on the rear bottle label of the bottles as shown here. They are perhaps the most comprehensive and informative labels one will find anywhere on a bottle of wine. They spell out the information on the vineyard, geography, altitude, plantings, vines, the vintage and the bottling. The rear label itself makes for interesting reading, and insightful comparisons across the vineyards or vintages if one happens to have such bottles.

Calera Ryan Vineyard Mt Harlan Pinot Noir 2011

We hold a half dozen vintages of this label in our cellar as one of our 'signature' wines we hold in fun tribute to son Ryan. 

Consistent with our last tasting for this label which we served for the family Thanksgiving diner back in 2015, this was translucent ruby red colored, medium light bodied, scent of dusty rose, cherry and raspberry fruit flavors with a hint of cola, spice and earthy mushroom turning to fine grained delicate tannins on the moderate lingering finish.

RM 89 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1774888

http://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/11/thanksgiving-feast-features-diverse.html

Another family connection for our evening's dining, Linda and I enjoyed some delicious artisan chocolates from France. 
 

These were part of a incredible holiday gift package from our 'French Family' friends whom we visited with son Alec during or French holiday last year.  

One of the primary reasons for our trip, and the purpose of visiting Aix-en-Provence was to visit with our ‘host’family, Jean Claude and Mireille, parents of Philippe who was an exchange student that lived with us on two different tours. His residency and friendship with our son Alec contributed to Alec’s fluency in French. Visiting the region to see Philippe and meet his family was one of the reasons for our trip, together with our son and Viv, his fiancée, to the south of France.

http://www.calerawine.com/ 


Also shut in due to the Coronavirus, Alec and Vivianna, out in Conneticut, prepared grilled USDA prime New York strip steaks, charred Pittsburgh style, just like I would like them! 

With their steak dinner they drank a California Conundrum Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Charlie Wagner of Caymus fame. 

This is a blend of Petit Syrah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from throughout the Northern California region, purpose crafted to be the perfect complement to grilled meats at a high QPR suitable for every day drinking.

Conundrum California Red Wine 2017


Crafted by Charlie Wagner, grandson of the legendary Chuck Wagner of Caymus fame, he says "We believe in being both serious and playful, and this wine fits the bill. A rich, dark red, it offers aromas of ripe berries and plums, warmed by a hint of cocoa.'

'Dried fruit and the taste of chocolate-covered cherries come through on the palate, while a wisp of smokines, makes this wine – created from dark red varietals including Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon – the perfect complement to grilled meats and full-flavored dishes.'

'Tannins are rounded out by the ripeness of the berries for a texturous but smooth mouth feel. The finish makes us think of lingering at the end of a long evening and still not wanting to go home, with layers of rich flavor that teasingly trail off."

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3299869

http://www.conundrumwines.com/ 

Coronavirus Shut-in Family Artwork and Journal

Finally, the most touching point of the evening was Erin sharing pictures of the family artwork highlighted by grandson's Richie journal for the day, setting the tone for the entire shut-in situation, and Lucy and her tribute to beloved family dog Jackie, that was put down as we entered the shut-in period. In the background is the classic family projects - the planets!







 

Saturday, July 7, 2018

Conundrum California Rosé 2017

Conundrum California Rosé 2017

This is the first Rosé wine reviewed in these pages, and my first in several thousand tastings notes published in my wine journal here and on unwindwine.com.

Conundrum was a project from Chuck Wagner of Caymus legend that has become a major brand with Red, White and this Rose' wine that are sourced from various suppliers throughout California - Napa, Monterey, Santa Barbara, San Benito, Solano and Tulare Counties.

Conundrum was founded in 1989 with Conundrum White, Conundrum Red came along in 2011. Today, Charlie’s grandson, Charlie Wagner II, manages Conundrum and is Winemaker for this wine.

 This Conundrum Rosé is made primarily from Valdigué, a unique and rare grape varietal grown in limited quantities, sourced from near Paso Robles in Central California. The varietal was originally thought to be Gamay until its provenance and pedigree were validated.

This is moderate, light, crisp and refreshing, an ideal summer wine for sunny days on the veranda. Golden, rust-orange, rose colored, light, dry, modest notes of strawberry, hints of pear and tropical fruits with lively acidic finish.

RM 87 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2970209

http://www.conundrumwines.com/wines/



  

Friday, June 20, 2014

Conundrum California Red Wine 2011

Conundrum California Red Wine 2011

Imagine my confusion when the wife called and said she and our daughter were tasting a glass of Conundrum Red. Of course everyone knows Conundrum is a label from the Wagner family known for their legendary Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet. Since 1989 they've produced a unique white wine blend. But, alas, she was (drinking Red Conundrum). Chuck Wagner II, fifth generation Wagner winemaker, named for his grandfather, is the winemaker for this third release of this label that debuted in 2009.

Since the wife and daughter liked it I picked up a bottle during my 'weekly' visit to the local wine shop. There it was, in the red blend aisle, down towards the lower priced bottles in the moderate-low price realm. I usually walk past this section and hang out down at the far end at the high (er) priced offerings. We opened it for tasting with a grilled steak and it was a good pairing. Realistically priced at around twenty dollars, this offers pretty good QPR - (quality-price-ratio).

This is not a wimpy wine! The first hint is the aromatics that fill the room upon opening. Dark ruby colored, medium-full bodied, it punches you in the mouth with big concentrated expressive black and red berry fruit flavors and a rush of 'heat' as if from alcohol but seemingly from a layer of acidic tones that are somewhere between pine, light mint and camphor, before giving way to a medley of sweet anise, kirsch and hints of caramel vanilla flavors.

The next day, the 'heat' had burned off and the wine settled considerably but the result came across a slight bit 'flabby', which perhaps was masked by the initial frontal attack. But then, hey, this is a sub twenty dollar wine, not to be confused with Caymus Cabernet at around $60 plus.

Notably, this is not a Napa Valley blend, but rather a 'California' blend, such that the fruit is sourced from distributed sites around the state, each with its own unique characteristic terroir. As the name implies, Conundrum Red is a 'puzzling blend of varietals'. As I've written on other similar such wines, they tend to lack polish and balance due to the disparity of their individual profiles. Never-the-less, this is a big bold flavorful fruit forward drinker that would go well with hearty foods or bold cheeses or dark chocolate. Wife and daughter liked it, but a bit over the top for my preference.

RM 87

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1636890

http://www.conundrumwines.com/